


I Left My Heart In San Diego

by lifeinskinnyjeans



Series: California Love [1]
Category: Green Day
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Love, Moving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-24
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-04 05:44:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 77,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/390406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeinskinnyjeans/pseuds/lifeinskinnyjeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arizona Willows has been ripped away from her life in San Diego, California by her mother at the age of seventeen, and forced to move eight hours away to Oakland.  She thinks it is the worst decision her mother has ever made, but then she meets her neighbors, and begins to think this eight-hour move wasn't all bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ONE

"Arizona, let's go! You don't have to look beautiful to sit in the car for eight hours! I'm the only one that's going to be seeing you anyway!" my mom yelled up the stairs for the third time.

"Mom, God, I'm coming!" I yelled back at her, coming down the stairs with my two suitcases and my cat carrier.

"I thought you said you were only bringing one suitcase, Arizona," Mom said, eying my last-minute second suitcase.

"Mom, even expanded, I still had, like, half my clothes that still weren't packed yet. Hence the second suitcase," I answered.

"Fine, Arizona, but your carrier will have to sit in the back seat." Mom opened the glass door, holding it open with her foot as she dragged her lone silver suitcase out the front door.

"My carrier has a cat inside of it, and the cat has a name!" I called angrily after her as the glass door shut behind her. I peeked in the carrier, sticking a finger inside so my 3-year-old calico, Daryn, could nuzzle it and not feel so trapped. "Her name is Daryn," I muttered. She purred and nuzzled my finger lovingly.

"And before you ask," Mom said as she came back inside for one of my suitcases I had placed by the door, "You can't let the cat out while the car is moving."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine. As long as she can get out for a few minutes every time we stop so she doesn't go completely mad," I argued.

"Whatever, Arizona. But how will the cat go to the bathroom?" my mom asked, hand on her hip as I opened the glass door, holding it open with my elbow as I rolled my suitcase over the metal step under the door.

"I left her some pellets in her cage, Mom. She'll be fine," I answered, my voice cut off by the slam of the glass door.

"I just don't want to smell anything." Mom shoved the last suitcase in the trunk, and shut it as I placed Daryn's carrier in the driver's-side back seat. "Are you ready?" she asked, taking a deep breath with a smile on her face.

"Ready to leave my whole life behind? Yeah, sure, let's go," I said, hopping in the passenger seat. My mom didn't make a move to get in the driver's side. A few minutes later I asked, "Well, are we going or not?"

"Do you want to drive?" she asked.

My face brightened. "Okay!" I climbed over the stick shift, careful not to jostle it, and strapped myself in eagerly, waiting for my mom to strap herself in on the other side. I'm seventeen, and I had just gotten my license, so I was always eager to drive.

My mom smiled at me as she strapped herself in and laid back, her shoes already off. "Let's go," she said, still smiling, and I started the car.

I took one long, last look at the house -- and life -- I was leaving behind before I pulled out of the driveway, the huge-ass moving truck lumbering along after us.

~~~

"Which one is it, Mom?" I asked, nudging her awake.

She opened her eyes and stretched as I slowly drove down our street, headlights piercing the darkness like knives.

We drove about another one hundred feet before my mom pointed to a white-sided house with shutters that looked black in the dark, but so did all the others, so I would have to wait til morning to see what color they really were. "This one," she said. "Fourteen oh-one."

I pulled in the driveway and took the key out of the ignition, sighing with relief that I could finally get out of our white 2003 Honda Accord and stay out of it, at least until tomorrow, when I was going with my mother to the nearest school to enroll for the latter half of junior year and senior year of high school.

The moving truck turned around painfully slowly in the narrow cul de sac our street ended in, and pulled end-first up to the curb at our driveway. "Okay, let's get this done," one of the movers said, holding something that resembled stake lights under his arms.

Well, they were stake lights. The mover staked some temporary lights in the ground adjacent to the driveway, and went back to the open-ended truck. My mother and I stretched our legs and arms and other limbs as we exited the car for a while, and while Mom opened the trunk and started heaving out suitcases, I was at the back door, getting Daryn's carrier, which she had been stuck in for the past four hours, and crying to get out of for the past sixty minutes.

Forgetting my suitcases, the movers, and my mother yelling after me as I ran into our new house to release my cat. But as my senses came to, mostly my common sense, I forgot that the movers would be moving around and Daryn would have a higher possibility of getting squished by either our furniture or the movers themselves. So I just went upstairs, carrier in hand, and explored, turning on lights as I walked.

I fell in love with the first room I walked into. It had, like, Easter-egg-purple walls, deep purple carpet, and a huge closet with off-white doors. I set down Daryn's carrier in the corner, and went back outside to bring in my suitcases and help direct the movers.

I suppose the lights the movers had staked in our driveway were attracting some attention to my mom and I, because I saw a tall guy's figure walking toward our new house, hands shoved in his pockets. I couldn't really make anything out about him, though, it was too dark and he was still too far away.

The first mover brought out a bed frame, which happened to be mine, and I directed him inside to the room which I had just claimed. He set it up, and we both headed back out to pick up more furniture. The mysterious tall guy was standing right by the first light stake by the driveway, lighting up his entire body.

Holy shit. This guy was my neighbor? Well...I wasn't just going to stand there.

I walked up to him, smiling. "Is this tradition for you?"

He turned his head to me, the light stakes lighting up his eyes in addition to that sexy smile. His eyes were green as I had ever seen. "Is what tradition for me? Watching my new neighbors move in at 11 at night? If so, then yes," he answered smartly.

I smiled, chuckling a little. "So are you going to introduce yourself or just stand there anonymously and watch as my mom and I move into our house?"

He laughed. "Billie Joe Armstrong."

I smirked at him. "That's a unique name."

"I've heard that before. And what is the name of the doll I'm talking to?" Billie Joe asked.

"Arizona Willows," I answered, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"Unique name yourself. So, where did you come from?" he said.

"San Diego. You been here long?"

"Since I was brought into this shit-hole we call a world," Billie Joe answered proudly.

I laughed. "Arizona, I can't arrange your bedroom for you!" my mom called from the back of the moving truck.

I sighed. "Guess you have some more pressing matters to attend to," Billie Joe remarked, nodding his head toward my mom.

"Yeah, it looks like it. See you around?"

"Definitely. I live down there," he said, pointing at the house with a half-open garage, light spilling out onto the asphalt driveway.

"The house with that half-open garage. Got it," I said.

"Arizona! Get moving!" my mom yelled, getting annoyed. I sighed again.

Billie Joe laughed. "I'll see you later," he said, and started walking away.

"Later," I called after him, watching him walk away the same way he approached.

The movers had my mattress in hand, and were carting it inside. Once they had laid it down on my bed frame, I laid down on the mattress, thankful to be on a bed after being in that car all damn day.

Billie Joe was the first thing I thought of. Holy shit. Again. Maybe this eight-hour move from my life wasn't all bad...


	2. TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tapping on your window isn't the tree branch.

I woke up the next morning to soft taps at my near bedroom window. Thinking it was the wind, I rolled over and smashed a pillow over my ear, drowning out the taps. Once the noise had ceased, I removed the pillow from my ear and went to fall back asleep.

A few moments later, I heard the soft taps at my window again. Annoyed, I groaned and reluctantly opened one eye, rolling back over to see what was disrupting my first night's sleep in my new house.

To my surprise, and a bit to my disgust, admittedly, it wasn't the wind or branches or anything tapping on my window, it was the adorable neighbor I met last night, Billie Joe Armstrong. I smiled groggily, and mushed my face into my pillow. Billie Joe just continued to tap softly on my window, waiting for me to open it and let him in.

I looked back at Billie Joe still tapping on my window five minutes later. "Let me in," he mouthed, pointing at the locked window he had been tapping on.

"I'm sleeping. Go away," I mouthed back, smirking. Daryn stretched out at the end of my bed, walking up and nuzzling the hand laying over my body outside the covers.

"Just let me in, dammit. It's freezing!" Billie Joe mouthed desperately, rubbing his hands over his arms signaling he was cold.

I sighed, getting out of bed to open the window. The locks clicked as I unhinged them, and the window frame strained a little as I pried the window open, but, with Billie Joe's help, we opened the window just wide enough for him to snake his way in. Not expecting such a long fall, Billie Joe thumped onto my carpeted floor, making me laugh. He hopped up, brushing himself off, pretending like nothing had just happened.

Taking a glance at the time, he turned around and closed the window behind him as quietly as possible. If this was going to be a regular thing, having cute neighbors crawl in my window at 8:30 in the morning, these squeaky windows were going to become a problem, and fast.

"Hi," he said, smiling like he always climbed in his new neighbors' windows the morning after they move in.

I smile and giggle. "Hi," I said, rocking back and forth on my heels.

"I noticed the moving truck is still at the curb," Billie Joe said, taking off his black Converse and placing them in the corner of my bedroom.

"Yeah, at 3 am the movers were tired, so they moved the pull-out couch into the basement, my mom and I put sheets on it, and they slept there for the night. Speaking of sleep, I should still be asleep! I didn't fall asleep till 3:30, and I should let you know now that lack of sleep and I have never gotten along well," I explained.

"Get used to it, Arizona, if you want to be hanging out with the likes of moi," Billie Joe told me, pointing to himself as he climbed onto my bed. He occupied the spot I had vacated only five minutes previously to let him in the window.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now move your ass out of my spot," I noted, walking back over to my bed.

"What if I don't want to move? This spot right here is pretty warm," Billie Joe teased.

"Then I'll just lay on top of you and hope I don't have to feel the boner you might get," I answered teasingly, walking ever closer to the side of the bed. Mind you, I was only wearing a tank top and a pair of boy-shorts.

"Well, with that in mind, I don't think you'll be getting back in this bed anytime soon," Billie Joe joked.

I laughed, and climbed onto my bed on my hands and knees, sitting down next to him. "I'll just take my chances," I said, laying down against the piece of pillow Billie Joe left me.

"I thought you said you'd lay down on top of me."

"Yes, well, in hindsight, that seems a little awkward. The only thing I know about is your name and the fact that you live in the cul de sac that my new street ends in. You're practically a stranger," I said to him. Billie Joe just smiled.

"Well, we'll have to fix that. And complete your promise." With that, Billie Joe lifted me up off of my bed and onto his body, laying me proportionately against him, lifting me like I was light as a backpack or maybe a guitar. He seemed like the type of guy that would play guitar.

I squeaked as he lifted me, surprised at how easily he lifted me. When I stopped giggling like a six-year-old girl, I said, "Hi."

Billie Joe laughed and said hi back. "This isn't so bad, now, isn't it?"

I giggled again. "No, but I'm cold," I said, sitting up to grab the covers I had kicked off previously.

"Good, I was cold, too," Billie Joe said, smiling and wrapping his hands around my waist and locking them together, above the covers, of course.

We laid there together for about five minutes, giggling and talking, before I fell back asleep.

~~~

What time is it?: The first thing I thought when I woke up again. Then I remembered the events that transpired earlier that morning and tried to shift position, but was hindered by some snakes around my waist. I giggled, and found a note stuck to my headboard.

Oh, hooray, it was my joyous mother. I could only imagine how pissed she was when she poked her head into my bedroom and saw the strange neighbor boy she had seen me talking to last night lying underneath me in my bed. AWKWARD. And that's pretty much what the note said: Arizona, you whore, who the hell is that boy lying underneath you in your bed. Thanks, Mom, love you, too...

Billie Joe seemed to have fallen asleep, too, and his phone rang in his pocket underneath me. Since it didn't seem like he was waking up to answer it, I stealthily drew it from his pocket and answered it. "Hello?" I answered quietly.

"Billie, where the hell are you?? Practice started half and hour ago, and you know we only have a week til our show next week at the club!" the guy on the other side yelled.

"Calm down, buddy boy, Billie Joe is sleeping. Can I help you?"

"Oh, sorry, sweetheart, didn't realize that Billie had a new fuck-buddy. Wake him up and tell him to get dressed and get his ass back to his house," the guy said, about to hang up.

"Woah, woah, woah! I am NOT Billie Joe's new fuck-buddy, I just met him yesterday," I interjected.

"Okay, okay, calm down, sweetheart. Just tell him to get his ass back over to his house, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Later."

"Thanks," the guy said, and hung up. I placed Billie Joe's phone back in his pocket and shook him awake. "Billie Joe, get up, you just got a phone call."

"You know you don't have to keep calling me Billie Joe. I'm just surprised you haven't gotten tired of it yet," he answered, eyes still closed.

I laughed. "Okay. Billie, get up, your friends want you back at your house for practice," I repeated.

Billie's eyes shot open and took a look at the clock on my nightstand. "Oh shit! I'm so late! Sorry, Arizona, but I gotta go. Hey, wait. Did you wanna come with?"

"I'll just meet you there. I don't want to make you another hour late," I told him, climbing out of bed and opening my closet.

Billie Joe laughed. "Okay, see you there," he said. He hesitated for a few seconds, before he got up off my bed and walked over to me.

"Yeah, looking forward to it," I said, turning around and smiling. Billie Joe kissed me on the cheek, and opened the window, hopping out and onto my front lawn before I could respond.

I walked to the window and watched him half-run back to his house. Did he think I would follow him looking like this? Oh well. I could bother him about it when I met him at his house.

I moved my hand up to the spot where his lips met the skin of my cheek, and remembered how sexy and rough his lips felt against my cheek.

Damn, Billie Joe Armstrong...


	3. THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The point of view switches.

I sprinted full speed back to my garage, wondering if Arizona really had the pride - or not, as the case may be - to follow me in her pajamas.

As I was peering over my shoulder to see if she was, in fact, following me, I heard a shout from close at hand. Looking back ahead, I noticed I was about to smash into Tre's shitty old drum set. It may be ancient, but it's all he's got, and he would still murder me painfully if I happened to damage it, on purpose or by accident.

I planted my heels into the asphalt of my driveway, skidding to a stop right in front of Tre's face, slamming my hands down on the rims of the two nearest drums to stop myself from falling forward over the drum set.

"There you are, Billie! Where the hell have you been?" Tre yelled, whacking me on the head with one of his drumsticks. Unfortunately for me, Tre had the faster reflexes when it came to his drumsticks, so he withdrew it and started spinning it around between his fingers before I could even touch it.

"Why does it fucking matter? At least I'm here now," I yelled back, getting defensive.

"By the sound of it, I would say our Billie here has found himself a new girlfriend," Mike remarked, his fingers drumming over the frets of his bass guitar but not playing anything.

"Shut the fuck up, Mike. Arizona is NOT my new girlfriend. I just met her yesterday." I stood up and brushed myself off, walking over to where my guitar was, laying across a covered wooden bench against the side of my garage.

"Arizona? Is that her actual name?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? I invited her to practice," I answered, lifting the guitar strap over my neck. Ah, the familiar feeling of getting to play another day with my guitar.

"Dude. Not cool. Could you have at least asked us first?" Tre interjected.

"Yeah, or at least answered your phone?" Mike added.

"Jeez, guys, could you get the fuck off my back? It's not that big of a deal. You've always said we could use an unbiased third-party opinion, Mike. I think you should be thanking me," I retorted, wanting to drop the subject and start playing.

"Damn, Billie, how do you remember this shit?" Mike sighed, strumming a random chord and shaking his head.

"When is this state-named, unbiased third-party opinion going to be here, then, Billie?" Tre asked, now spinning both drumsticks. Not paying as much attention as he usually does, Tre lost control of one of his drumsticks and it smacked against one of the cymbals, resulting in a big crash and a wooden click as the drumsticks hit the cement floor of my garage.

Caught by surprise, Tre stops spinning the other drumstick, quiets the cymbal, and picks up the fallen drumstick from the ground all in one fluid motion, sitting back up again with the pair of drumsticks still in his one hand with a look on his face that said, 'Nobody just saw that.'

Mike just chuckled and went back to strumming random chords, eventually switching to the chords to Wake Me Up When September Ends. I laughed, and told Mike to shut up for a second whilst I tuned my guitar.

"You could've done that if you were here on time," he mock-scolded, shaking a finger at me like he was my dad or something. I hated it when he did that...

"Shut up, Mike," I growled, strumming an A chord and adjusting the guitar's knobs accordingly.

"Ooh, touchy, Billie. You must really like this girl," Tre said, spinning a drumstick again.

"Tre, I would concentrate more on that spinning drumstick than on me if I were you. I may act gay for you, but you all know that I'm as straight as a flagpole," I told him, strumming a perfect C chord.

"Ha! We both know that all too well, Billie," Tre said, smiling as he started tapping a drumstick on the rim of the nearest drum.

"You both know what all too well?" a girl's voice asked from the garage door. I looked up and saw Arizona ducking under my cracked garage door, looking positively fucking sexy in a grey band t-shirt, dark skinny jeans accenting her long legs, pink-striped skate shoes and a purple hoodie with yellow writing on it. Maybe inviting her here was a bad idea...I'm gonna get distracted so easily.

"How straight Billie is," Mike answered, obviously much better at hiding his first impression of Arizona better than Tre was.

"Um...okay?" Arizona said, cocking her head slightly to the side, her dirty blonde ponytail sliding off the back of her head enough to see the tip poking out underneath her chin.

It was then there was a huge loud CRASH that sounded like a drummer falling off his stool at the sight of a really pretty girl in front of him, which in fact it was. Tre was so taken aback at how pretty Arizona was, I assumed, that he literally fell off the stool he was sitting on behind the drum set, and then proceeded to pretend to pass out. Arizona was curious as to what the hell Tre was doing, so she peered over the top of the drum set, and Tre popped up spontaneously, making Arizona jump slightly. Tre very nearly missed a well-delivered punch to the face by ducking down to pick up the drumsticks that had fallen under a drum when he fell off his stool.

Shaking my head to clear it, I turned to Mike and Tre and said, "Guys, this is Arizona Willows, the girl I was telling you about. She just moved in down the street."

"So you're the girl I was talking to on Billie's phone?" Mike asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Arizona answered, nodding.

Mike hurriedly put his bass down and ran to Arizona, kneeling down at her feet. "Shit, I'm sorry!"

Arizona burst out laughing, the cutest smile breaking out on her face. She had an adorable laugh, too, like the laugh of a girl still stuck in middle school. Her laugh made me wonder how old she was, but, looking at her, she couldn't be that much younger (or older, I don't know) than me. When she regained her composure, she bent down and patted Mike on the shoulder, saying, "Dude, it's cool. You don't have to, like, worship me or anything."

Mike stood up. "Well, yeah, I know, but I didn't think you were this damn pretty!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his dyed blonde hair that was starting to grow out. You could see the natural brown starting to show at the tips of the pieces of hair down the sides of his face.

Arizona blushed, looking ever cuter than when she smiled, and looked down at her feet, trying to hide her red face. "Thanks," she muttered, looking up at Mike a moment and looking back down again.

I laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder. I expected her to sober up and shy away, but she didn't even flinch. Kind of makes sense: A girl as pretty as she is has probably had her share of boyfriends, which might put me out of the running...

"Here, sit down. We're just tuning up," I said, sitting her down on the covered bench where I picked up my guitar.

"Okay!" she said eagerly, her eyes lit up like candles during a winter power outage. "But before you start playing, could you show me where the bathroom is? I didn't get a chance before I climbed out my window. My mom heard my music playing from my room, and she was going to verbally murder me if I didn't get my ass out the window." Her ice blue eyes bore into my own dull green ones, communicating to me a longing to be free of her oppressive mother.

"Yeah, right this way," I said, putting my guitar down on the bench beside her and extending my hand. She didn't take it right away as she was staring at my guitar, the blue finish glinting slightly in the late December sunlight. "Arizona?"

"Oh, hi," she said hurriedly as she took my hand. I felt a spark all the way up my arm, and I couldn't tell from the angle of her face I was looking at if she felt it, too.

"Like the guitar?" I asked as we walked inside.

She nodded enthusiastically. "It's pretty," she said, her voice sounding the way a little girl's might if she were in a toy shop. I chuckled, stopping by a white door with a brass handle, like all the other doors in my house.

"Thanks. Here's the bathroom. The garage is just back down this hallway and to the right. It's grey," I said, pointing to the bathroom door and then down the hallway.

"Okay, thanks," she said, slipping inside and closing the door.

I walked back out to the garage, eager to speak with Mike and Tre about what they thought of Arizona. When I got back out there, they were both pinning me with surprised looks and wide eyes. I laughed and picked up my guitar again, lifting the strap over my head once again.

"Billie, where the fuck did you find a girl like that?!?" Mike hissed.

"Yeah, Billie, she's fucking gorgeous," Tre added.

I laughed. "She really is something, isn't she?"

"You know, Billie," Mike said, returning to sanity (or as sane as sane gets for Mike Dirnt), "I think that she might make you turn over a new leaf."

"What do you mean?" I asked, strumming the first chord to Jesus of Suburbia.

"He means that this girl might break your random fucking spell," Tre said, clicking a drumstick on a rim and continuing to spin it between his fingers.

"What? You two are crazy," I said, starting to play.

"Okay, boys," Arizona said, reentering the garage, "I'm ready for you to blow my mind."


	4. FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Day plays for Arizona.

"Ready, guys?" Billie said, looking over and back at his two fellow band-mates.

"I would be if I knew what song we were playing," the other guitarist said, shuffling through papers shoved haphazardly in his guitar case.

"Um...I think we should start out by playing a couple choice songs from the album," Billie answered, his yellow-green eyes staring off into space.

"American Idiot?" the drummer immediately suggested.

"Probably a good starter. American Idiot. Ready?" Billie said, looking over and back at his fellow band-mates again.

"Ready," they reported back, assuming some sort of stances. I smiled.

Billie started with a riff on his guitar, then the other guitar and the drums joined in, making for an awesome-sounding beginning to a song.

"Don't wanna be an American idiot!" Billie yelled into the microphone. "Don't want a nation under the new media. Can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind fuck, America." He threw into what seemed to be a chorus of sorts. "Welcome to a new kind of tension, all across the alienation, where everything isn't meant to be okay. The television dreams of tomorrow, we're not the ones who are meant to follow, for that's enough to argue."

A few minutes and one mind-blowing song later, Billie struck the last chord, ending the song. He looked over to me, his face covered with a sheen of sweat even with his garage door cracked open in the middle of December. "What did you think?" he asked, adjusting the guitar strap on his shoulder.

"I think I'll need to hear another song before I can make a truly good analysis," I answered, crossing my legs.

Billie smiled and turned back to the drummer. "Are We The Waiting," he said. He turned sideways to the other guitarist and said the same thing, all three of the boys setting up for this song.

It started with a drum sequence. A few seconds in, Billie came in on the guitar, and when he started singing, the other guitarist came in. "Starry nights, city lights coming down over me. Skyscrapers, stargazers in my head. Are we we are, are we we are the waiting unknown. This dirty town is burning down in my dreams. The lost and found city bound in my dreams. And screaming," -- the other two joined in here and damn, I wish I knew their names -- "Are we we are, are we we are the waiting. And screaming: Are we we are, are we we are the waiting."

After a very dreamy-sounding verse and 'are we the waiting's, Billie struck a fast chord, and stood there for a few moments, picking back and forth between two strings on his guitar. He started singing again, this time fast-paced: "St. Jimmy's coming down across the alleyway, up on the boulevard like a zip gun on parade. Lights on the silhouette, he's insubordinate, coming at you on the count of one, two-"

"One, two, three, four!" Tre yelled, sinking into a mad drumming frenzy along with Billie and the other guitarist strumming chords like there was no tomorrow.

"My name is Jimmy and you better not wear it out. Suicide commando that your mama talked about. King of the forty thieves, and I'm here to represent the needle in the vein of the establishment. I'm the patron saint of the denial, with an angel face and a taste for suicidal," Billie sang.

I smiled, noticing how fucking awesome of a singer Billie was. If these guys had released an album, they must be pretty big shit around here. And who knows, maybe they had fans elsewhere they don't even know about.

At the end of that little combo song, Billie turned to me again, an expectant look on his face. He raised his eyebrows, panting a little and stretching his fingers. I was giggling. "I liked the lyrics to the second part of that song. They were funny," I commented. "But don't worry, you guys sound pretty good."

"Thanks," Billie said, his face breaking out into a smile. "And, in case you were wondering, because I was an ass and didn't introduce you, this is Mike Dirnt, our bassist-" Mike waved "-and Tre Cool, our drummer." Tre waved frantically, a drumstick in his hand and a creepy smile on his face.

"Does he always look like that?" I asked Billie.

"Who, Tre? Yeah. He's just a general perv, so I wouldn't leave your purse or clothes unattended." I laughed as Tre bugged out his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "Not to mention he's fucking insane," Billie added. I smiled, looking back at Billie. Damn, he was really hot. But he probably had a girlfriend or something. Lead singers in bands like this one usually had really pretty girlfriends or something.

"So if those were all off your most recent album -- which is fucking cool, by the way -- what are some songs that people don't know?" I asked.

"I feel that I don't know you well enough to divulge any of those to you," Billie answered, sticking his nose up in the air pompously. I laughed, and he turned his head back toward me, smiling a really cute smile.

"I find that hard to believe," I countered, settling back against the cold cement of the garage wall with a triumphant smile on my face.

Billie looked at me. "Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently.

I chuckled and walked up to him, leaning in so his face was inches from mine, our noses a hair's width from touching. "You know exactly what I mean, dip-shit."

Billie stood there in front of me for a second, then blew a breath in my face, straightening up. I crinkled my nose at the scent of his breath: mostly pot, but I detected a hint of chocolate or something else sweet. It was the most interesting combination.

Standing back up, I didn't move, just crossed my arms, and stood there, watching Billie Joe stare back at me. He narrowed his eyes after a moment, the lesser space illuminating his bright yellow-green eyes, bringing out the green in them. "Your eyes are really cool," I said, breaking the silence.

Billie smiled a cute, knowing smile, lifting his guitar from his neck and putting it down in a previously unseen stand right in front of Tre's drum set. Free of his guitar, he resumed his spot and took a step closer to me, re-closing the space between our faces.

I smirked, staring straight into Billie Joe's yellow-green eyes, making note of the flecks of jade green and golden yellow. I had a feeling that this boy's eyes would become a big subject of my drawings, which was big. I hadn't drawn anyone's eyes, let alone a guy's, since my last boyfriend, James, broke up with me. He had the most beautiful brown eyes, and I used to draw them all the time, marking my obsession. Oh, shit, this was bad...

"Your eyes are absolutely beautiful," Billie whispered, jumping the minuscule gap between our noses, having them now touching. I don't know why, perhaps it was some strange instinct, but I pulled back from Billie's nose, rubbing mine.

Billie stood up, taken aback. "What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, concerned, his yellow-green eyes doing nothing to hide the vulnerable look on his face.

"No," I said, shaking my head, my hand still on the tip of my nose. "I was just surprised." I took my hand from my nose, revealing a small smile.

Billie's face relaxed. "I should have warned you," he said.

I laughed. "Of what?" I asked.

"His impulses," Mike answered. Billie shot him a look and I giggled. I caught a glimpse of Tre's smile as he watched Billie over his drum set.

"Well, now you have been warned. I can be quite an impulsive guy," Billie said, taking a step toward me.

I smiled cutely, taking a step forward, too. "At least when it comes to girls," I heard Mike mutter not-so-quietly.

Tre laughed. "Especially when it comes to girls. Mike, are you thirsty?"

"Very, Tre, let's go," Mike answered, setting down his bass and heading inside with Tre, closing the garage door behind him.

Billie let out a sigh of relief. "I thought they would never leave," he said, rolling his eyes.

I blushed, grinning. "I find my blushing extremely embarrassing."

"Why?" Billie asked, cocking his head.

"Because that was an extremely cheesy line," I said, laughing.

Billie smirked. "Yeah, I'll admit to that, but I hope you haven't pinned me as a cheesy guy."

"No, of course not. You could never be cheesy. I don't know how I'm able to say this to you, but you're really cute," I said, blushing and staring at my feet like a naive middle school girl talking to her crush.

Billie laughed and closed the gap between us again, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Just cute? That's it?" he asked, sounding concerned. "You don't have to hold back. I won't."

I chuckled, and turned my head to see his face, that adorable face with the sexy yellow-green eyes and adorable smile. "Okay then. You're absolutely fucking adorable."

"Well thanks. You're pretty fucking sexy yourself," Billie replied, our noses touching again. I pulled back again, but this time, I settled back, our noses touching and staying there.

"Thanks." I pulled my face back from Billie's to put his whole face in my perspective. "Why did you kiss me before you hopped out my window? And why did you scramble away so fast?? I didn't even have time to turn around before you were out my window!" I asked.

"Calm down, Arizona. It was an impulse. And I ran away because I didn't want you going all ape-shit on me because I know that even that little kiss was really fast, even for Billie Joe Armstrong," Billie explained, and I knew by the look in his eyes that he was telling the whole truth.

I smiled and put my nose back against Billie's. "Well, I thought it was cute, but left too much to be desired. It seemed like a awkward ending to an awkward morning," I said.

I didn't expect Billie's next move. Or lack of next move, rather. One would expect the guy in this situation to kiss the girl after that, but Billie didn't. He actually removed his face from mine and took his arm from around my shoulders, looking down at his feet. I was watching his face, looking for a sign of what he was going to do next, but I couldn't tell from the angle I was looking at his face.

A moment later, Billie looked back up at me, a creepy smile on his face. I raised an eyebrow, looking at him strangely, wondering what that creepy smile signified.

Suddenly, Billie swept me up off the ground and, holding me like a new bride, whisks me inside to the nearest couch, plopping me down upright and sitting down next to me, a big grin on his face. I squeaked when he lifted me, and continued to giggle as I was whisked inside his house and sat down on his couch.

Billie snaked an arm around my waist this time, making me skitz. Billie started to remove his arm, but I leaned back into the couch so he couldn't move it. A minute later, Billie tried to wriggle his arm, and I let him, as it snaked back around my waist. I settled into his arm, Billie squeezing me closer to him.

I looked up at Billie from his shoulder, and Billie looked down at me, smiling. I smiled back and lifted my head from his shoulder to get a better view. "You're really pretty," he whispered.

"Thanks."

"No, like, you're really pretty," Billie repeated. "I really hope Mike and Tre were wrong, but this is just proving them damn right," he said.

"What are you talking about, Billie?" I asked, giggling a little.

He sighed. "When you were in the bathroom, Mike said something about how you might be the girl that makes me turn over a new leaf. I asked him what he meant, and Tre said that he meant that you might be the girl that makes me break my random fucking spell. So this, us sitting on my couch cuddled up together, is proving them damn right."

I laughed. "And is that a bad thing?"

Billie smiled. "I don't know yet." He leaned in to gently kiss me. Ho. Ly. Fuck. That pot-and-something-sweet smell I had smelled in his breath, I tasted in his gentle kiss. It was fucking delicious, and I almost wish he hadn't pulled away, but I was kind of glad he did. I knew he wanted to gage my reaction.

"So?" he whispered.

I giggled at first and didn't say anything, biting my bottom lip. "You have a girlfriend, don't you?" I asked.

Billie looked a little angry at my question. "Why do you assume I have a girlfriend?"

"Because a guy that can kiss that well probably does," I told him, my fingers fussing about at their position on my stomach. Billie's angry expression turned to one of cocky triumph. "But don't be getting up on your high horse. That would just make me hate you," I added, Billie's face dissolving into a wide smile. His eyes connected with mine and he kissed me again.

I could really get used to this. And thinking about what he had said about a random fucking spell, it made me wonder if Billie had ever actually had a real girlfriend before. "Billie?"

"Arizona?"

"Have you ever actually had a real girlfriend?"

"Define real." I slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Yeah. Once," he finally answered.

"Just once? Then they all turned into random whores?"

"Pretty much."

"But we're hoping you can change that," Tre inserted, sliding onto the couch right next to me. His silent approach scared the shit out of both Billie and I, making me jump a foot in the air and Billie shoot daggers at Tre. He just laughed as Mike sat in the couch across from us.

"You know, Billie, your bedroom is completely unoccupied," he said, taking a drag from the cigarette he was smoking.

"Shut up, Mike. The peanut gallery is closed for today," Billie shot back, squeezing me even closer. I smiled and started drawing circles on the hand he had placed over mine.

Tre sunk down to my face level. "As much as Billie may deny it, you're going to be the girl that changes him for the better," he muttered into my ear.

I laughed as I heard Billie sigh. "Tre, would you like to have the ability to have children anytime in the future?"

Tre chuckled. "Please, sir."

"Then shut the fuck up." I just smiled at the bond these three boys shared as I snuggled even deeper into Billie, taking in his scent and remembering the flecks of jade green and golden yellow in his eyes as he started gently stroking the end of my ponytail with the arm that had been around my waist.

I felt a piece of paper against the skin of my hand. I looked down and noticed a small strip of paper was sticking out from between Billie's fingers. I tapped at his hand, and he flipped the note so I could read it.

"I will never admit this to Tre and Mike, but Tre is probably going to be right," it said. I just smiled, turning his hand back down, drawing circles on it again, as Billie kissed the top of my head.


	5. FIVE

Billie and I hadn't left our positions on his couch except that now Billie had a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers by the neck. He would take swigs every so often, and sometimes I would ask for a swig, which he willingly gave me, along with a small kiss every now and again.

"So this is basically a day in the life of Billie Joe Armstrong," Billie said, taking a swig of his beer.

"Creeping on your new neighbor, falling asleep with her in her bed, inviting her to your band practice, then turning her into your lovesick bitch?" I asked, smiling and stealing Billie's beer bottle.

"Okay, well then this is basically an afternoon in the life," Billie said, making a face as he rephrased.

"Inviting your new neighbor to your band practice and turning her into your lovesick bitch?" I asked, with undertones of sarcasm.

"Okay, so maybe you'll have to catch me on another day," Billie finally admitted, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "This day wasn't so typical."

I laughed and snuggled into Billie, my head on his chest. We were on the floor; Tre kicked us off when he wanted to lay out and Mike was spread out on the love seat smoking.

Billie kissed the top of my head as my phone rang. I pulled it out, bracing myself for a verbal barrage from my mother. "Hello?" I answered.

"ARIZONA LEIGH WILLOWS! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?? We were supposed to meet the principal of your new school an hour and a half ago!" my mother yelled, loud enough that Billie heard it, and gave me a shocked look.

I smiled. "I'm at Billie's, Mom," I said, and then realized she had no idea who that was. "Billie Joe Armstrong. He lives in the cul-de-sac, one of our new neighbors."

"Well, it's nice that you're making friends, but if you don't get your ass back to this house in ten minutes, you will have some serious explaining to do, and not just to me." My mom abruptly hung up.

Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I sat up from my position on Billie's chest. "My mom will have my ass if I'm not back home in ten minutes, so I better split," I said, stretching and using the couch as a support as I stood up.

Billie stood up as well, taking his half-empty beer bottle to the kitchen. There was some clinking, glass on glass, two runnings of the faucet, and then Billie returned, two tall glasses of water in his hands. "Drink," he said, thrusting one at me.

I took the glass and downed it in about four gulps, Billie finishing his about the same time and taking the glasses back to the sink. Taking me by the hand, he placed a bright green-wrapped object in my hand, stopping by the trash can on the way to his front door. "Start chewing as soon as possible. That way, your breath won't smell so badly of alcohol," he said, shoving one in his mouth and throwing out the wrapper.

As I started chewing, my eyes watered slightly from the intense mint taste. "Holy shit, Billie, are you trying to burn the alcohol from my mouth??" I sputtered, my sinuses cleared from the intensity.

"No, it's just like that because you were just drinking," Billie said, taking a more serene hold of my hand as we walked up the street to my house.

"Sheesh, surely this goes away?"

"Yeah, just keep chewing. I hate to leave you. Your mom sounded fucking pissed on the phone."

Billie and I stopped at the end of my driveway. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. The bruises will heal in a week or two," I said jokingly.

"What??" Billie said, giving me a wide-eyed look.

"Calm down, Billie, she'll just be pissed, she's not going to do anything to me. She never has," I said, placing a hand on Billie's chest.

Billie took a deep breath. "Well, have fun meeting the principal. You can learn our nickname for him for yourself. It's not that hard to figure out," he said, smiling and squeezing my hands.

"I'll be itching to leave the second I get there," I said, smirking.

"That's the way I feel every damn day..."

"Ha ha. I'll see you later, okay?" I said, planting a small kiss on Billie's lips.

"Of course. Here, this is my number," he said, pulling out a pen from his breast pocket and pulling up my sleeve. He scribbled it on my arm, then put the pen back and my sleeve down. "Text me when you get out, okay?"

"Surely." I gave Billie another small kiss before turning to walk across my lawn to my front door.

"That's it?" he called after me. Smiling, I turned around and walked back down to him, Billie enveloping me in his scent as he kissed me goodbye. I gave him a tight hug, and then he let me go. "Better. See ya."

"Bye." I turned around and headed in my front door.

"Arizona? I hope you're home because we're getting in the car!" I heard my mom yell from the kitchen. Annoyed, I sighed and turned around on my heel out to the car.

~~~

"Good afternoon, Ms. Willows," the cue-ball-headed man in the navy suit said, shaking my mother's hand. Now I see where he gets his nickname fro, and I bet Billie isn't the only one to call him that. "My name is Jacques DeCarte, principal of Central Coast High School."

My mom and I both took seats in small leather chairs as the cue-ball took a seat in his big leather chair behind his big mahogany desk. "NatalieAnn Willows," my mom said, smiling. "And this is Arizona, my daughter."

"Hi," I said curtly, already wanting so badly to be back in Billie Joe's arms. Damn, I have a good perception of these things...

"So I see you're going to be completing the second semester of your junior year here, correct?" DeCarte asked, turning to me.

"Yeah," I said, staring at his cue-ball head. Suddenly, I was truck with inspiration. I fished my miniature sketchpad and a pencil from my purse, and flipped to a fresh page.

"Put that away, Arizona," my mom muttered angrily under her breath. "You can doodle later."

I shot her a look, but didn't say anything, just leaned over my mini-sketchpad and started sketching the outline of a pair of gorgeous yellow-green eyes.

"Now just wait, Ms. Willows," DeCarte said, holding up a hand. I liked this guy, making my mom shut up. "It seems we have a budding artist on our hands."

None of Mr. Cue-Ball's comments fazed me as I was fiercely scratching out the almond shape of Billie's eyes. "What exactly are you drawing, Arizona?" he asked, peering over the side of his desk.

I briefly looked up at him. "Eyes," I said, and looked back down, picking off little lines in an imitation of eyelashes.

"Eyes?" my mom asked incredulously, snapping her head to look at my drawing and I. "You haven't drawn eyes since James," she said, peering over my shoulder.

I nudged her away, and I saw her indignant expression as she sat back up, annoyance and mild contempt settling on her face as the suited cue-ball continued to peer over his desk.

"I trust you have her schedule all set up?" my mom asked after a few minutes of silence, save my pencil scratching on the paper.

The cue-ball nodded. "Yes, I will be e-mailing you a copy, and Arizona will receive one when I see her here in school tomorrow," he answered.

I stopped drawing and slowly looked up at the cue-ball. "But tomorrow's Friday," I said, slightly narrowing my eyes.

"Yes, it is. Maybe that will be a perfect excuse for you to slack off on Monday when you return from the weekend," the cue-ball said, joining his hands at the fingertips and settling back in his chair.

"Whatever," I said, closing my sketchpad and slipping the pencil behind my right ear. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

My mom stood up as I did, and shook the cue-ball's hand again. "Thanks for having us."

"Of course. See you tomorrow, Arizona."

"Can't wait," I muttered, rolling my eyes and walking out the door. I saw my mother and the cue-ball exchange a few last words before she walked out, trotting down the hallway to catch up to me.

"You were very rude, you know," my mom remarked, unlocking the car from across the parking lot.

"And does it look like I care?" I asked sarcastically, opening the passenger-side door.

"You never do, Arizona," my mom said. After starting up the car and a few minutes of silent driving, my mom asked, "Whose eyes were you drawing anyway?"

I smiled and leaned my head back against the headrest, my eyes closed. "Billie's," I answered. "Billie Joe Armstrong's."

My mother just rolled her eyes and sighed as I pulled out my phone and punched in the number Billie had scrawled on my forearm. 'omg he's a cue-ball if i ever saw one', I sent to him.

He took a moment to reply, but maybe it was the wooded area we were driving through had no service or something. 'haha yeah i told you it wouldn't be hard to figure out'

'i couldn't stop staring.'

'haha you gonna be home soon?'

'pulling in the driveway now. feel free to call in like 5'

'okay i will. talk to you in 5'

'haha <3'

'<3'

That heart was enough to keep a smile on my face the rest of the night.


	6. SIX

"So tell me, in very specific detail, what happened," Billie said.

I smiled and snuggled down into my pillows, adjusting my phone at my ear so as to best relay the very specific details of what happened in Cue-Ball's office earlier this afternoon. "Well, we arrived, and he was like 'it's very nice to meet you' in an overly-professional voice."

"Yikes. You think maybe he has a thing for your mom?" Billie suggested.

"Billie Joe Armstrong! That's disgusting! I would most likely kill myself in the event that my mother started dating my school's principal," I said, making fake gagging noises.

"Or you could just run away and come live with me," Billie murmured.

"You're too close, Billie. If I ran away to your house, it would be too easy for my mom to come harass me about running away and shit," I reasoned.

"Oh, you heard that? Whoops...." Billie trailed off.

I chuckled. "Was I not supposed to?"

"No," Billie admitted.

"Wow. Billie Joe Armstrong doesn't want me to hear something he said. That must be a first," I teased, wanting so badly for him to come sneaking in my window. Dammit. I really was being becoming obsessed...SHIT.

"Shit," I muttered.

"What?" Billie asked. Fuck, did I say that out loud?

"Oh, nothing," I said hastily, hoping to God he wouldn't question why I just cursed under my breath.

"I may not not know you very well, but I know girls almost too well, and I can tell that it's not nothing, Arizona," Billie said.

I sighed. "It's just that...."

"That what? It's okay, you can say it. I'm sure I've heard worse from girls before."

"It's just that I'm starting to become obsessed with you. I suddenly started drawing your eyes in the middle of Cue-Ball's office today, Billie. Your eyes. I haven't done that since my last boyfriend two months ago," I explained, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

"I wouldn't consider it a bad thing yet," Billie said, trying to calm me.

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because," Billie answered. "Two months isn't a very long time."

"Billie," I said, "I was with this guy for a year and a half. He was my longest relationship ever."

"Shit."

"Yeah. And we had some pretty shitty times," I said.

"Well, think of it this way," Billie said. "You said 'starting to.' That implies you're not completely obsessed yet. And as long as you're not clingy-obsessive, it's okay."

I smiled. "Thanks, Billie."

"For what?"

"Knowing just what to say to make me feel better," I said.

Billie laughed. "Now that is a first," he said. "I almost never know the right thing to say."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Well, I'm glad you do. I gotta go. Alan's taking us all out to dinner to celebrate his first paycheck."

"Alan?" Um...

"Oh, Alan's my oldest brother," Billie explained, probably feeling a little foolish.

"Do you have any other siblings?"

"Yeah, I'm the youngest of six."

"Holy shit! The youngest of six?!" I exclaimed.

Billie laughed. "Yeah, six. It takes some getting used to. I'm sure you're going to meet at least one of them if you keep coming to practices."

"Probably more than likely. I'll let you go. Have fun!" I said.

"I will. I'll text you, okay?"

"Why would it not be okay?"

Billie laughed again. "I don't know. Later."

"Yeah, bye," I said, hanging up my phone. Talking with Billie always left a smile on my face.

"Arizona!" my mom called from downstairs. "Come down here! There's someone I want you to meet." I sighed. Who could my mother possibly want to introduce to me?

I left my room and walked downstairs, setting my phone on vibrate and shoving it in my pocket. I entered the family room to see my mom and some short-haired, muscular guy sitting on the couch next to her, holding her hand. Another new boyfriend, no doubt.

"Hi," I said to him, smiling at him and giving him a small wave. "Mom, who's this?"

"Aran Hettinger. A-R-A-N, just like the generic name, just spelled different," he answered casually, his emotions and voice not betraying anything pertaining to why the hell my mother wants me to meet this guy. Unless...no. She wouldn't do that to me, to us. We've only just moved in. This is still only the first day my mom and I are living in San Diego. So it's very probable that he's someone from back home, in which case that wouldn't be so bad.

"Arizona Willows. I assume that you know my mom somehow," I said cautiously.

"Of course he does. He's not just some random hitchhiker off the street, Arizona," my mom snapped. I shot her a look and turned back to Aran. He didn't seem terrible, but he'd only spoken two sentences to me.

"I figured as much. But why the hell do you want me to meet him? He's not another one of your boyfriends, is he?" I retorted.

"That's precisely what he is, Arizona, and you would do well to watch your mouth around him."

"What, you don't want your precious bullshitted image of me to be ruined? Well it's too late for that, Mom," I said, my voice dripping with rage.

She stood up, hands curled into fists. "Arizona Leigh! You are my daughter, and you will do as I tell you up until the very last second before you turn eighteen! Since that is some time away, you will do as I say, or you will face some serious consequences! Do you understand?!" she shrieked at me.

"Fuck off, Mom! You've never given two shits about what I've done, why start now?!" I shrieked back, knowing exactly how to win this screaming match.

"Because I was afraid to move! I didn't want to move, Arizona, but I had to if we wanted to keep being able to have money in our pockets on a regular basis!"

"Well, now the truth is out," I said, no longer screaming. I crossed my arms over my chest.

My mom sat back down, Aran's hand on the top of her back. "And I'm still afraid for you, Arizona. That guy I saw in your bedroom this morning? He didn't look like the type of person you should be hanging out with. He looks just like Charlie," she commented.

"Billie Joe is nothing like Charlie," I growled, narrowing my eyes at my mother.

"And how can you deduct this? You've known this guy for all of a day, Arizona."

"This little family meeting isn't about me. Can we just get to the point?" I asked, eager to get away from my mother before I stood up and punched her. Or did anything worse...

"Gladly. I just wanted you to meet Aran," my mom said, settling back into the couch and taking Aran's hand again, visibly fuming.

"Why?" I asked monotonously, leaning forward on my elbows.

"Because you're going to be seeing a lot more of me," he said, smiling slightly, trying to break the tension my mother and I left in the air from our screaming match.

"Please don't tell me that he's moving in."

"You're damn right he is," my mom said. I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me off. "And I don't want to hear another word out of you, Arizona. I would appreciate it if you left us alone here. I don't care where you go, as long as you don't get yourself into any trouble."

I settled back into the couch, not intending to go anywhere, just to spite her. Aran turned to me. "Could you please leave us alone? We need to talk," he said.

"Surely, Aran," I said, standing up and walking over to the coat closet. I shoved my arms through the sleeves and flipped my mom off as I walked out the door.

As I slammed the front door behind me, I turned right out of the driveway, and headed for a certain garage door, the slight darkness illuminating the light spilling out from underneath it.


	7. SEVEN

"Billie?" I called as I entered his garage. I peeked my head around a corner of his garage door, and saw him sitting quietly on one of the concrete benches with an acoustic guitar, singing a song I hadn't heard before. He was wearing earplugs, so he didn't hear me calling his name. I walked over to him and sat down next to him, his attention on some pages of sheet music in front of him.

"Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last. Wake me up when September ends. Like my father's come to pass, twenty years has gone so fast. Wake me up when September ends." Billie's hands rested on his guitar, one on the body and one on the neck, the one on the neck wrapping around and squeezing. I looked to his face and saw his cheeks were wet with tears. Maybe I should knock first next time...

Billie wiped his eyes with his sleeves and lifted his guitar over his neck, standing up and placing it on the stand next to the bench. He sat back down, taking out his earplugs, placing them on the bench next to him, and laying his head in his hands. His body shook with silent sobs, and I couldn't help myself from quietly placing my hand on his back.

Billie shot up and looked over at me. "Oh, Arizona," he sniffled, wiping his face with his sleeves again. "It's just you." He leaned forward on his knees. "This is so fucking embarrassing."

I laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were crying, Mr. Armstrong," I said, my hand still on his back, rubbing it slightly.

Billie smiled, sitting up. "What are you doing here?" he asked, leaning against the cold concrete wall, his head turned toward me.

"My mom and her new boyfriend kicked me out of the house for a little while, and this was the first place I could think of to come," I explained, shrugging.

"Kicked you out?" Billie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Temporarily. They needed to talk."

Billie nodded slowly, then shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like you're not welcome here."

I leaned back against the concrete wall with him. "Cool. So where are Tre and Mike?" I asked.

"I don't know. Probably off doing whatever Tre and Mike do when we're not practicing," Billie said.

I laughed. "So it's just the two of us?"

"In the garage. Holly, Anna, and David are inside. Holly's supposed to be watching us while Marcy is over at her boyfriend's house and Alan and my mom are at work, but all I ever do is just sit out here in the garage any play with my guitar anyway," Billie said.

"Holly, Anna, and David? I'm assuming that they're more of your siblings?" I asked, squinting.

Billie smiled. "Yeah." He then took my face in his guitar-roughened hands and quickly kissed me.

I smiled. "What was that for?"

"Do I have to have a reason to kiss you?"

"For now," I said, smirking.

"Just one?" Billie asked.

I smiled. "Yes, just one."

Billie smiled and cocked his head to the side, looking for a good one. "You're beautiful. You're accepting. You're probably the girl that Tre and Mike were talking about. Do any of those reasons suffice?"

I laughed. "All are perfectly acceptable," I said, leaning in and kissing him again.

"Billie Joe Armstrong!" a girl's voice yelled from the door into the house.

We pulled apart and Billie sighed, turning around to face the girl standing in the doorway behind him. "What, Holly?"

Then she noticed me sitting behind him. "Oh, hi! I'm Holly Armstrong, Billie Joe's sister," she exclaimed, walking over to me and sticking out her hand.

I shook it with a cautious smile and said, "Hi. I'm Arizona Willows."

"So how do you know my brother?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. The garage door into the house was still open, and half of a body poked out.

"Holly?" the boy asked. "Are you coming back inside? It's your turn," he said, jabbing a finger back at what was inside.

Holly smiled. "Yeah, just a minute, Dave," she said, sighing. She walked back to the door into the house, but stopped just before entering. "Have fun, you two. Try not to make too much noise, and Billie?"

"Yes?"

"Always remember to use a condom."

"Oh fuck off, Holly!" he yelled, glaring at her as she laughed and shut the door behind her. He turned back around to look at me. "Do you wanna go upstairs?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I took his hand and he led me through his house to his bedroom upstairs, leaving his guitar and sheet music all over the bench we were sitting on. When we got to his room, he plopped down on his bed, making an audible squeak. I laughed and started looking around his room.

It was fucking amazing. There were random lyrics scribbled around his black-and-red walls and ceiling, both his and those of what I assumed were his favorite bands. "Billie," I breathed, a huge grin plastered on my face.

"You like it?" he asked, looking over at me.

"Billie, it's fucking amazing! I love it!" I exclaimed, tearing my eyes away from the ceiling and walls.

"I'm glad you do. I think you're the first girl who's had such an extreme reaction upon seeing my room," he said. He slid over closer to the blind-covered window and patted the spot he had made on the bed next to him. "Come sit."

I did the same as he did, running and jumping onto the bed, making another audible squeak. Billie was laughing when the squeak subsided, and I smiled, wiggling back and forth on the knees of mine that I was sitting on. Billie just continued to laugh and pulled me down on top of him, kissing me much more passionately than he ever had before.

I broke off, looking down at him and smiling. "Hi," I said, giggling.

He smiled, reaching up and entwining his arms around my back, locking his hands together. His head came up off his pillow to kiss me again. I smiled behind the kiss, and Billie's hands separated, resting one on each side of my waist. He broke off this time, licking his lips and just staring at me. I smiled at him, kissed him one more time, and then rolled off, laying on my back against his bedsheets, staring up at his lyric-covered ceiling.

After a few minutes, I heard Billie roll onto his side, and then he tugged at my sleeve. I turned my head to look at him. "What are you doing?" he asked, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

I looked back up at the ceiling. "Just reading the lyrics on your ceiling. There's so many!"

"Seven years of scribbles," Billie mused.

I rolled over onto my side as well, watching Billie as he got lost in his thoughts of his lyrics on his ceiling. A few minutes later, he looked down at me, smiling. "What?"

"You're cute when you're lost in thought."

He kissed me gently. "Thanks."

We spent the rest of the afternoon just laying on his bed, talking, kissing, talking some more, listening to his music, kissing some more, and he even played his guitar for me. It was an afternoon of bliss...


	8. EIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arizona learns guitar.

"Billie, oh my God, that's awful!" I hissed, leaning in close to his ear.

"Yeah, but it's true," he said, strumming a random guitar chord.

"Hey Billie?" I asked, my eyes on his guitar.

"What?" he said, tracing the path of my eyes and seeing they're stuck on his guitar.

I looked up at him. "Do you think you could teach me how to play?"

"Guitar?" I nodded. "Yeah, if you want."

I grinned and kissed him quickly. "Where do we start?" I asked, starting to bounce on my knees.

Billie lifted his guitar off his neck and placed it on the bed in front of him. He then scooted off the bed and came to stand behind me. "Okay. We start with learning how to hold the guitar." Billie leaned around me and picked up his guitar, lifting it over my head an his to put it back over his neck. "Did you see how I did that?" I nodded. "Okay, now you try." Billie lifted his guitar off his neck and placed it back on the bed in front of me.

I stared at it for a moment, marveling at how awesome it sounded in the hands of Billie Joe Armstrong. I picked it up in the way that I had seen Billie do, and then, slowly and carefully, lifted the black leather strap over my neck, feeling the worn edge against me through my shirt.

"Good," Billie said, smiling as I turned around to face him. "A little more careful than necessary, but I understand. You are using my guitar after all."

I chuckled and turned back around, facing away from Billie. He came up behind me and took my hands. "Okay, next is hand placement. Just like any other instrument, guitars have certain places you put your hands. The left hand-" he took my left hand, "-goes up here on the neck. The left hand is the hand that controls the notes the guitar makes by moving up and down and pressing down on the strings. The right hand-" he took my right hand, "-goes here on the body, with the arm just resting on the rest of the body. The right hand is the hand that holds the pick and strums the strings, making the guitar actually produce music. You got that so far?"

I nodded. "Yeah. That's simple."

"Yeah, it is," Billie said. "Now, I know I have a spare pick somewhere...If you just lemme find it, you can try playing a couple notes," he said, fishing around in his pockets. "Ah, here we go. It's purple, just for you." He handed it to me and I smiled, taking it and spinning it around in the fingers of my right hand.

"Now, I hold the pick with just my thumb and index finger, but I suggest you start with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger, thin end between your fingers. When you get better, you can forgo the middle finger." I held the pick like Billie had just explained, looking at him for approval. He smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

"This isn't hard," I said, pressing down on random strings under the fingers of my left hand.

Billie smiled knowingly. "Just wait till we get to the actual music-playing part," he said, wrapping his left hand around mine. "Okay, are you ready to learn a few notes?"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, nodding profusely.

Billie chuckled. "Okay." He placed my left index finger across the third and fourth string in between the first metal bar and the second metal bar, and my middle finger on the second string next to my index finger. "Strum." I did so, and the guitar uttered a note, making me grin. "That was A. Any questions?"

"Yeah." I took my fingers off the guitar neck. "What are these metal bars called?" I asked, pointing to one.

"Oh, those are called frets," Billie said.

"Okay," I said, putting my fingers back where they just were. I strummed another A happily, making Billie smile.

He took my fingers from A, put my ring finger on the fifth string in between the second and third frets, my middle finger on the fourth string in between the first and second frets, and my index finger on the second string between the top of the neck and the first fret. "Strum." I did so, and the guitar uttered another note, making me grin again. "That was C. And by the way, the top of the neck before the first fret is called the nut," Billie said. I giggled. "Yeah, I know," he said, laughing with me. When we calmed down, he leaned around me and his guitar to kiss me.

Billie was about to teach me the next note when my phone rang from my pocket. I fished it out and answered, leaving Billie's guitar around my neck. "Yeah?"

"Hi, Arizona. Aran and I are done talking, you can come home now," my mom said.

"Oh okay. Hey, Mom, I have a question for you," I said.

"Shoot, honey."

"Do you think that I could sleep over Billie's house tonight?"

My mom took a deep breath. "Billie. Is he the boy that I saw you with this morning?"

"Yeah, Mom, he's just a friend. Nothing's going to happen, I promise," I answered.

There was a moment of silence before my mom answered. "I suppose so. But I want to properly meet this boy. You have to come home at some point to get your things, and I want you to bring him with you."

"Yeah, sure! Thanks, Mom!"

"You're welcome, dear. See you soon."

"Yeah, bye." I hung up, shoving my phone back in my pocket at turning around to face Billie with a triumphant grin.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"I'm sure it's cool I sleep over tonight, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's no problem, but what are you so fucking happy about, Arizona?" Billie asked, starting to get a little annoyed.

"Um, my mom let me? And it's a fair trade, too."

"What do you mean, 'a fair trade'?" Billie asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You have to come with me to meet my mom," I said, strumming my third A note.

"Sheesh, I'm meeting you parents already?"

"Just my mom," I said. "My dad left my mom and I when I was eight."

"Well, at least you can say you know him," Billie said solemnly.

"Yeah, I can." After a few minutes of depressing silence, I said, "So what's D?"

Billie smiled and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck before moving my fingers to the correct strings.


	9. NINE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billie meets Arizona's mom and boyfriend.

"Arizona? Is that you?" my mom called from the family room.

I led Billie behind me. "Yeah, Mom, it's me," I called back.

"Well come in. I want to meet this Billie," she said as Billie and I entered.

"Oh, hello," she said, smiling. "I'm NatalieAnn Willows, Arizona's mother. You must be Billie."

"Yes, ma'am. Billie Joe Armstrong," Billie said, shaking my mother's hand and smiling.

"In case you were wondering, this is my boyfriend." My mom pointed to Aran, who smiled briefly and shook Billie's hand as well.

"Aran Hettinger."

"Billie Joe Armstrong."

After the introductions, Billie sat next to me on the couch opposite my mother and Aran. "So, Billie, how old are you?" my mom asked, taking Aran's hand. Really, Mom? It's not like either of us is going to steal your boyfriend from you. He's not even that attractive.

"Seventeen," Billie answered. "I'm a senior at Central Coast."

"Oh, how wonderful! Same age as Arizona." Billie smiled. "Well, you two don't have to sit around trying to make conversation with us," my mom said dismissively. She turned to me. "Arizona, you can go get your things and we'll see you tomorrow. I just wanted to properly meet this new boy of yours."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, standing up. I pulled Billie up off the couch and led him to my room upstairs.

"Well, your mom seems nice," Billie remarked once we were out of earshot.

"Puh-lease. She's only being nice because she doesn't want you to think that she's an uber-bitch," I told him, fishing through the top drawer of my desk for my makeup bag and hairbrush.

Billie laughed. "She doesn't seem like a bitch, but, then again, she seems much more two-faced when I remember how angry she was yesterday afternoon."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you could hear that. And I definitely agree with you," I said, throwing my necessary accouterments onto my bed. I walked over to my closet and fished out my pink-and-black day bag from the corner.

"Sexy," Billie commented, smiling and wrapping his arms around my waist. I chuckled and turned around to kiss him.

Shoving my bag aside, Billie laid me down on my bed and broke off. I could feel his warm breath on my face, the tobacco-and-something-sweet smell tickling my nose. Billie leaned down to continue kissing me, and I let myself melt into the kiss. It was such a blissful feeling, Billie's body pressed up against mine, his lips taking me on an adventure. A few minutes later, he started nipping at my bottom lip, and I broke off.

"What?" Billie asked, licking his lips. "Was that too fast?"

I smiled. "No, I just think this would be better continued somewhere my mother can't storm in on us," I said.

"Oh okay." Billie kissed me again. "Glad to know it wasn't me."

Billie stood up and lifted me off the surface of my bed. I plucked a pair of jeans from my dresser, along with an extra pair of underwear, some pajamas, and pulled a tank top and accompanying shirt from my closet. I shoved my hairbrush and other beauty products into my bag and then sneaked over to my nightstand, revealing a secret stash of condoms under the pile of notebooks that I occasionally scribbled or doodled in. I took two and sneaked them into my bag as quietly as possible. I looked at Billie, who had obviously just watched me put two condoms into my bag. "Just in case," I murmured. "You never know."

"With me, it's impossible to predict what's going to happen, so that's probably a good idea," he murmured back, closing the gap between us and kissing me again. I smiled when we broke apart, and I secured my purple pillow in my bag's straps, closing it and slinging it over my shoulder. "Ready to go?" Billie asked.

"Yep! Let's go have some fun," I said, walking out my bedroom door with a grin on my face. Billie followed, shaking his head and smiling. He took my hand when we got to the front door. "Bye, Mom!" I called.

"Bye, Arizona! Have fun! And be safe!" she called back.

"Of course, Mom." I closed the door behind me as Billie and I stepped out into the early evening snow. "Look, Billie, it's snowing!"

"Yeah, Arizona, I can see. You know what?" he said, wrapping an arm around my waist as I ceased spinning on the front lawn.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him as we walked across my lawn.

"You need a nickname. Like one that only I can call you," he said, rubbing his hand against my waist.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, nesting my head into his shoulder as we walked down the center of the cul-de-sac, the snow falling harder now.

"Okay, lemme think." There were a few moments of silence save the scuffle of our feet on pavement as Billie thought of my nickname. "People probably already call you Ari, so how about if I call you...Iz?"

"Like short for Isabella?" I asked.

"No, like short for Arizona," Billie answered smartly, smiling.

"Very funny, Billie."

"So what do you think?"

"I like it."

"Awesome. So I'm gonna start calling you Iz now. Or Izzie."

"Okay!" We ducked under Billie's garage door, shivering a little from the cold.

"So, after we put your stuff in my room, what do you wanna do?" Billie asked, looking at me.

I looked out over Tre's drum set and Billie's guitar and sheet music still strewn on the bench. "I wanna learn how to play your guitar some more," I said, smiling up at him.

He laughed. "Okay, let's go."


	10. TEN

By ten-thirty that night, I had learned all the notes on Billie's guitar that he knows, and Billie was starting to teach me some really simple melodies and lines of music.

Billie leaned back against his wall on his bed, sighing. "So, what do you think?"

I turned around to face him. "I love your guitar."

"I'm glad. Maybe you should think about getting one, and we could play together," Billie suggested, twirling the pick between his fingers. I hadn't even realized he had taken it from me.

"Billie, I have no money. I don't even have enough to buy myself a fucking candy bar," I answered, smiling.

Billie laughed. "Well, perhaps you should secure a job to solve that money problem," he said.

"Well...I would have a job if I had a car, Billie," I said, smiling and lifting his guitar over my neck and setting it down in between us.

"Guitars are more important," Billie said, smirking. I laughed and leaned over his guitar to kiss him. I pulled back to Billie's smile, and I started to lean back, but he pulled me back onto him, kissing me again. I squeaked and Billie started to nip at my bottom lip. I refused and broke off.

"What?" Billie asked, his yellow-green eyes betraying his vulnerability.

I picked up Billie's guitar and placed it on the stand next to his dresser, walking back to the bed. Billie hadn't moved from his spot on his bed, so I climbed back on and snuggled into his chest. "I didn't want your guitar to be a hindrance," I said, rolling into him.

Billie chuckled and rolled onto his side, dislodging me from his chest. "You're too cute," he said, gently kissing me. I melted into his kiss, and there was a moment of pure bliss...until some asshole knocked open the door.

Billie and I broke apart instantly, shooting daggers at the person who stormed the door. I knew he was one of Billie's siblings, but I didn't know which one. By the looks of him, he couldn't be much older than Billie himself. "David! What the fuck?!" Billie yelled.

I don't think he was paying any attention to Billie because he walked straight over to me and stuck out his hand. "David Armstrong, Billie Joe's other brother," he said. I took his hand and shook it with a small smile.

"Arizona Willows. My mom and I just moved in down the street," I said, sitting up.

"Cool." He turned to Billie. "Just wanted to see what you were up to, you know, make sure you weren't doing anything inappropriate."

"Fuck off, David. We don't need a supervisor. I can take care of the both of us," Billie growled.

David laughed. "Sure. If he starts getting a little aggressive or anything, just scream, okay, Arizona?" he asked, turning back to me.

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind, David. Good night," I said, waving.

David smiled as he pulled the door to behind him. I sighed and laid down, staring at the ceiling. Billie kissed my cheek. "Thanks for getting rid of my brother, Izzie."

I giggled. "No problem. Where is he in the Armstrong birth order?" I asked.

"He's just before me. Second youngest," Billie answered. "Shall we resume?"

I grinned. "Right where we left off," I said, closing the gap between our faces and kissing him. Billie rolled over on top of me, making me squeak with glee and smile, our lips never breaking contact.

A little while later, after Billie and I had thoroughly explored each others' mouths, Billie moved the hand he had running through my hair to my waist and under my shirt. I slowed down to less passionate kissing, and Billie broke off. I could feel his labored breathing on my face, the pot-and-something-sweet smell assaulting my nose. "You alright?" he asked.

I nodded, my breathing labored as well. I licked my lips, and sat up, straddling his hips. "I'm fine. Just ask me next time before you start...I'll say going forward."

Billie chuckled. "I promise."

I smiled, stretching back over Billie's legs. "Good."

"So are you okay with me, as you said, going forward?" he asked, his hands preventing me from falling backwards.

"Would you be angry or upset of anything if I said no?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

Billie laughed. "Of course not. But that face you're making is absolutely adorable," he said.

I giggled and turned over, laying down on top of Billie, my head just under his. "Can I ask you something, Billie?"

"Of course, Arizona."

I took a deep breath. "Have you ever kept in contact with any of the random whores you've had?"

Billie sighed. "No," he said.

"What if one of them came up to you and told you that she was pregnant and she knew it was yours?"

"Arizona..."

"It's just a question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to," I said, taking one of Billie's hands.

"I don't know, Iz."

"Think about it a little. In the meantime, do you feel that you know me well enough now to divulge some of those songs that no one has heard before?"

Billie chuckled. "Maybe just a couple. Lemme get a few," he answered, clapping the sides of my waist with his hands. I rolled off and sat up as Billie fished through his shit-covered bedroom, coming up a few minutes later with about eight sheets of music in his hand. Picking up his guitar from next to his dresser, he sat back down on the bed, lifting his guitar over his neck and spreading out some of the sheets of music over the bed.

I sat across from Billie and his music as he started playing. "Shoplifter, you'll never learn, when you commit the crime. Shoplifter, you're getting burned, and now you gotta do some time. It's a one, two, three on the felony, well not everything is free. Now that you've served the community, it's the life of a petty thief. It's not considered stealing, unless you're getting caught, but you've been caught stealing, trying to take something you haven't got." The song ended about a minute later. Billie shuffled his papers to reveal another song, adjusted his guitar on his neck, then looked up at me with raised eyebrows.

The smile on my face was left over from laughing. "That was cute!" I say, chuckling again.

Billie smiled and tuned his guitar for the other song he had laid out. "This is one of my favorite covers," he said, sobering up and taking a deep breath. "As soon as you're born, they make you feel small, by giving you no time instead of it all. Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all. A working class hero is something to be. A working class hero is something to be. They hurt you at home and they hit you at school. They hate if you're clever and despise a fool. Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules. A working class hero is something to be. A working class her is something to be."

I listened intently when Billie started to play his guitar a little fiercer. I know that he wishes he could plug his guitar into an amp, but it was a few minutes after eleven o'clock at night, and a lot of the family was already asleep. After the song was over, Billie kept his head down a moment as he shoved all his papers back together and got off the bed to put them back, along with his guitar. When he came to sit back down on the bed, he looked up at me and beckoned me close. I scooted over the covers over to Billie, laying against his pillows. He put his shoulder around me and held me close. I rolled onto my side and laid one of my hands on Billie's chest, snuggling into his shoulder. "That was a pretty song," I told him, twisting my hips to get comfortable.

"Thanks. The song was originally by John Lennon."

I smiled. "I know. That's my favorite John Lennon song," I said.

I felt Billie laugh under me. "Well I'm glad to know that you have at least some kind of music education."

"I'm not as musically-uneducated as you might think," I argued.

"Well, not now," Billie said.

I laughed. "Well, yeah, not now, but not before I learned how to play your guitar either."

There were a few moments of silence before Billie squeezed my shoulder and took my hand. "Arizona, I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

I could feel Billie's breathing get a little faster underneath my hand, but he took a deep breath to steady himself. "I may have had a bunch of random whores, and only one real girlfriend, but I can't forget what it was like to have that first girlfriend." Billie sat up slightly, making me sit up with him, and he looked down at me, straight into my eyes, his yellow-green ones as fierce as I had ever seen them. "Arizona, I want you to be my second girlfriend," he said.

I smiled and looked away for a moment, then looked back. "That wasn't a question, Billie."

He chuckled. "Leave it to you to take that literally. So?"

"So what?" I teased, still smiling.

"Izzie, you know so what."

I laughed. "Yeah, I know, I just want to hear you say it."

"How typical-girl of you." Billie rolled his eyes. "Do you want to be my girlfriend, Arizona?"

I grinned, watching Billie's expectant yellow-green eyes. "Of course," I said happily, never taking my eyes off of his.

Billie's eyes lit up, a huge smile gracing his face. "Awesome," he said, kissing me.

I giggled and kissed him back, snuggling back into him as he laid back down. It wasn't long after that that we fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspective: In the world of the story, only about a day and a half has passed.


	11. ELEVEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome two new characters.

There was a finger lightly tracing patterns on my shoulder. "How long have you been watching me sleep, Billie?" I asked, eyes still closed.

Billie laughed. "Half an hour," he answered.

I opened my eyes, but instantly shut them again. The sun was streaming in between the folds of Billie's blinds. "What time is it?" I groaned, rolling over to get the sun out of my eyes.

Billie laughed again. "About nine o'clock."

I lifted my head to look at Billie. "I actually get to sleep in this morning," I said, smiling.

Billie smiled. "Yeah, sorry about waking you up yesterday. I didn't think you'd still be asleep."

"What an exciting first day. I meet a hot stranger the night I move in, he comes in my window and falls asleep with me the next morning, I go to his band practice, we kiss, get slightly drunk, exchange phone numbers, I learn how to play his guitar, I sleep over his house, then he asks me to be his girlfriend," I recite, recounting the main events of that past day and a half.

"And then you accepted, making the hot stranger very happy," Billie added.

I laughed. "Well good. I'm happy, too." I scooted up to Billie's face and kissed him.

When we broke apart, Billie was grinning. "I can't wait to get in bed with you," he said.

"You already are."

Billie rolled his eyes. "I meant I can't wait until I get inside you," he repeated.

I smiled and kissed him again. "While that did sound creepy, I'm kind of excited, too."

"Well maybe we should make it happen," Billie suggested.

I lifted myself up off Billie with my arms. "Billie."

"What? We both want to," he reasoned.

I sighed and rolled over on top of him. "It has to be special," I said, taking Billie's hands and clasping them around my waist.

"You speak like a virgin, Izzie."

I rolled back over to face him. "I am a virgin, Billie," I said.

"Oh, shit," he muttered, diverting his eyes. He looked back up at me. "Well, that certainly puts the pressure on."

I laughed, kissing him again. Billie nipped at my bottom lip, and I granted him access happily. As our tongues explored each others' mouths, the door burst open. "Okay, my turn!" Tre yelled.

Billie and I were startled apart. I sighed and fell down onto Billie's chest. "Tre, I'm going to kill you one of these days," I said, turning my head to look over at him.

He just smiled. "Is that before or after Billie cuts off my dick?"

I laughed and sat up, stretching my limbs and sitting up. "After," I answer. "That way you won't be in pain for very long."

Tre laughed and sat next to me. "So what are you two doing today?"

"With any luck, anything that doesn't involve you," Billie said, sitting up and stretching his limbs.

"But first, I require clothes. And makeup. I'm not going out in public without makeup," I protested.

Billie smiled and kissed my cheek. "I don't think you need any makeup, Izzie."

"Izzie? Is that her nickname now?" Tre asked.

"Only the one that Billie can call me," I answered.

Tre hung his head, but I could still see the smile on his face. "So do I still have to call you Arizona?"

"No, you can call me one of my other, more generic nicknames," I said.

Tre's head shot back up. "Okay!" he exclaimed. I laughed and stood up, stretching my legs. Billie pulled me back down, onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck, burying his face into it.

I was laughing the entire time. "You two should make it official," Mike suggested, walking in the bedroom and sitting down in the chair in front of what I assumed was what used to be a desk, but was now just another surface for Billie to pile his crap.

Billie lifted his face from my neck to answer Mike. "It is."

Mike pretended to be shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, smiling as Billie buried his face in my neck again.

"Wow," Tre and Mike said simultaneously.

"What a shocker," Tre muttered.

"Tre, do you like jazz?" I asked. Tre turned his head to look at me.

"It's alright. I'm much more of a punk guy," he joked.

I laughed. "Well, lemme play some jazz for you." I put my fingers up to my mouth like I was playing a trumpet, and made some trumpet sounds while moving my fingers in imitation of playing a trumpet. I played two strings of the same three faked notes, ending with my middle finger stuck up in the air.

Tre was watching me, and was smiling the whole time, but he burst out laughing when I made my ending move. "And that's supposed to make me like jazz more?" he said in between gasps for air.

"I never said anything about that increasing or decreasing your like for jazz. I just wanted to ask you if you had any grudges against it before playing some for you," I said.

"Well I suggest you don't go and take up the trumpet anytime soon, babe," Billie added. Each time he spoke, Billie lifted his face out of my neck and then buried it back when he was done. I giggled every time.

Billie gave me a last kiss on the neck and patted my thighs. "Oh, I can get up now?" I asked. Billie nodded, and I stood up, stretching again.

I dug through my day-bag and pulled out my shower stuff. "Taking a shower?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a little bit," I said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before walking into the bathroom. I popped my head in back in a minute later. "Billie?"

"Izzie?"

"Where could I find a towel?"

"You're smart. The last girl that Billie had over asked that after she got out of the shower," Tre remarked.

"She wasn't allowed to stay over ever again," Billie muttered. "Anyway, the clean towels and stuff are all in the closet at the end of the hallway on the left, right before Mike's bedroom."

"Thanks!" I said, lobbing my bag into the bathroom and walking down the hallway to find the towel closet Billie described.

~~~***~~~

I was showered, dressed, and beautified (although according to Billie, I was already beautified). After sitting in Billie's den area for an hour, the boys and I decided, amongst themselves, that I should meet their female counterparts; or, rather, the female counterparts of the drummer and the bassist.

"So these girls are your girlfriends?" I asked Tre and Mike. They nodded. "Well, they can't be much crazier then yourselves."

"I beg to differ with Tre's girlfriend," Billie chimed in.

"Shut up, Billie," Tre muttered, and I laughed.

"They can't be that bad," I said.

It was then that the front door slammed against the wall as it was opened, and two girls walked into the den. "Izzie, I would like you to meet Ziera Carpinter and Mary Jane Moore," Billie said.

"Hi!" the one Billie introduced as Ziera said, waving frantically.

"Girls, this is my new girlfriend, Arizona Willows. She just moved in down the street," Billie said.

"Hi," I said, giving a brief wave.

"So," Ziera said, taking a seat on Tre's lap, "New girlfriend, Billie?"

"Yeah, about that...," I said, grinning and snuggling into Billie's chest.


	12. TWELVE

"Can I tell it?" Billie asked.

"Sure, but I'll be sure to chime in on parts," I said, smiling.

"Okay, so I remember that it was Mike, Tre, and I, and we were just hanging out after a particularly good practice, and we heard this roaring noise outside last night. About eleven?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, I think," I answered, taking the hand Billie had draped over my shoulder. I saw Ziera smile.

"I was wondering what it was, and neither of these two lazy bums wanted to come with me to check it out so I went by myself, and saw immediately it was a moving truck. I figured I'd be nice and go greet my new neighbor, so I shoved my hands in my pockets and proceeded to walk up the street and say hi."

"I remember seeing you walk up the street. You looked cute with your hands shoved in your pockets," I said.

Billie smiled. "I stood at the edge of the driveway - her driveway - and waited for her to notice me," he said.

I smiled and a chuckle escaped my lips. "Then I noticed you, and I was like, 'Hey, who's that? He's cute.' So when I'm faced with a cute stranger, I certainly wasn't going to just stand there or ignore him."

"I was watching you walk up to me, and, honestly, I was watching your waist for the majority of your trip. It was only when you started coming within close range that I peeled my eyes from your waist and watched your face, which was equally as transfixing," Billie confessed.

I twisted around to kiss him lightly on the lips and then sat back down. "When you stepped into the light of the stake light in my lawn, I was stunned at how fucking hot you were, slash are."

Billie squeezed my hand. "I knew you were different from all the other girls," he said.

"Can you finish this sap-story without anymore of this mushy shit?" Ziera asked jokingly, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed. "Well, I don't know if Billie here can account for that, but I'll try." Ziera smiled. "By the way, Ziera, do you have a nickname or something? Ziera seems like a name that would have a nickname," I said.

She smiled. "Of course. Call me Zie if you want," she answered.

"What about Zoe?" I asked.

She shrugged. "For you, yes." She turned to the guys and Mary Jane. "But none of you other bastards, or MJ, can call me that, okay?" They nodded. "Good," she said, turning back to me. "Continue."

"Where were we, Billie?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Um...oh, right. We were talking, you know, the awkward small talk of meeting a really hot girl, or guy for you, Izzie," he said, squeezing me against him. I smiled. "And...ugh, this is boring."

I laughed. "Can we actually do something?" I asked. Billie kissed the top of my head.

"I can think of something," he muttered. I laughed and turned up my head to kiss him. I went to pull away, but Billie had a hold on me. I smiled behind the kiss and shifted to better push up against him.

Laying out on the couch, one of Billie's hands clamped on my waist and the other was running through my strawberry-blond tresses, our tongues taking a journey through each other's mouths. "OKAY, OKAY, TIME OUT!" Zie yelled.

Billie and I were startled apart, our heads snapping to look at Zie, our breathing slightly labored. I was still on top of Billie, his hands in the same positions. We both licked our lips, our faces turned toward Zie. "What?" Billie asked.

"Would you mind taking that up to your room?" Zie asked.

There was a moment of silence before Billie answered. "Yes," he said smartly, kissing me.

I refused his kiss. "I may be rebellious, but I'm not a whore."

Billie sighed. "Alright, alright. Izzie, do you wanna take this upstairs?"

I shook my head. "I wanna actually do something!"

"Let's go out!" Mary Jane suggested. I hadn't noticed she had been clinging to Mike this entire time. She was also eerily quiet...

"Yeah!" Zie agreed. "We should go out to that new dance club and show off our sexy boyfriends to the world."

I sat up, straddling Billie's hips, and stretching. "Definitely. Just let me touch up."

"Why of course. I know I certainly need a little touching up. Arizona, can I borrow your hairbrush? And a little bit of makeup?" Zie asked.

"Yeah, sure, it's upstairs in my bag," I said, climbing off my boyfriend and walking upstairs with Zie. Mary Jane followed silently behind.

~~~

Billie and I were shoved up against the wall in a dark corner. He was holding me up by my thighs, and we were kissing fiercely, my hands clasped tightly around his neck. There were two bottles of beer on the floor, knocked over from our motions. They had belonged to us before we abandoned them for kissing against the wall. All six of us had had our share of alcohol, three beers each, and Zie, Mary Jane, and I had each done a single shot of vodka, so we were just about as drunk as the boys were.

Billie broke away, panting, re-centering his grip on my legs as he held me against the wall and my hands remained clasped tightly around his neck. "Hi," he said, smiling.

I grinned and laughed. "Hi." I kissed him again.

He let me down so my feet touched the ground. My legs were stiff after being held up against the wall for half an hour. I wiggled each of them around, trying to regain feeling in both of them. "Having fun?" Billie asked, his arm now snaked around my waist.

"Tons," I answered, interlacing my fingers with the ones of the hand of the arm snaked around my waist.

"I think we should go find our companions," Billie suggested, skirting along the throng of sweaty dancers.

"Yes, definitely. Where should we start looking?"

"Well, I'm almost positive Tre took Zie to the opposite corner, where I'm almost positive that he's fucking her. Let's see, shall we?"

I laughed. "Alright."

Billie was right. There were few people in the opposite corner, leaving Tre and Zie's sex-capade to be viewed openly. Billie and I stood there for a few minutes, watching their rhythmic up-and-down movements. They were both sweating, a visible sheen covering their entire bodies as they continued to move in synchrony. You could even hear Zie's screams of pleasure and release over the thumping bass line in the background as the two bodies reached their climax. Tre slid off of Zie, putting both of them into full view of everyone that could see.

Zie's head turned down, her cheek touching the cushion that was sewed into the stone seat. Her eyes wandered, finally landing on Billie and I standing a mere few feet from them. Instead of freaking out and trying to cover herself up, she smiled and started laughing, making her breasts jump up and down. She nudged Tre. "Tre, Tre, look who's here!" she said, a smile still on her face.

Tre looked over at Billie and I, and he was the sensible one, scrambling to grab a piece of clothing to cover himself up. "Billie, what the FUCK?!"

"Hey, Tre. We just came to look for you, Zie, Mike, and Mary Jane, and figured we'd start here, because this is so like you to fuck your girlfriend in a dark corner," Billie said calmly. It made me giggle.

"Like this isn't exactly what you did," Tre remarked, sitting up and pulling up his boxer shorts. He threw Zie's bra and underwear at her, and she started putting them on, the smile still on her face.

"It isn't, actually," I chimed in. "We both kept all of our clothes on the entire time."

"Well that's a first," Tre said, buckling his pants. Zie pulled her shirt over head and fished a pocket mirror out of her purse.

"Nice sex hair, Zoe," I remarked as she looked in her mirror and started running her fingers through her hair.

"Ha ha, thanks. Go find Mike and Mary Jane, we'll meet you at the entrance in ten, okay?"

"Yeah, great. Any idea where they might be?" I asked.

Billie tugged at my waist. "I know where they are, Izzie, come on." He turned me toward the bar. "See you two at the entrance in ten!" he called back to Zie over his shoulder.

Billie and I found Mike and Mary Jane slumped over the bar, both probably passed out. Billie detached himself from my waist as he walked over to the two of them. He started to shake Mike awake. "Yo, Mike, you awake, man?"

Mike slowly sat up. "Hey, Billie," he slurred. Mike turned to Mary Jane. "MJ, baby, come on, it's time to go."

Mary Jane sat up ever slower. "Okay, okay, wet's goe," she slurred, her words hardly comprehensible. I felt bad that she was going to have one of the worst hangovers tomorrow morning.

Billie and I met Tre and Zie (fully clothed) by the entrance ten minutes later, just as we had promised, a half-conscious Mike and Mary Jane in tow. "Yikes," Zie muttered as we pulled them out the door.

When we got back to Billie's house, my mother gave me a call on my cell. She wasn't very angry that I didn't come home at all today because it gave her some time alone with Aran. I really didn't care to know the details, but she told me that she would be sending Aran over with some clothes for tomorrow. She told me that she would prefer that I sleep over again, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. I really didn't want that mental image...

"Well, Billie, it seems you're stuck with me again. My mom's boyfriend is coming over with some clothes for me," I said once I had gotten off the phone.

"I'm perfectly okay with that," he said, kissing my neck.

"Let's go upstairs," he said. "Good night, everyone..."

People murmured their "good night"s as we stumbled up the stairs and into Billie's bedroom. We had just flopped down onto the bed when the doorbell rang. "That's probably Aran," I said.

"I'll go get it," Billie said, sitting up. He left to go answer the door and I took the opportunity to get changed into my PJ's. I pulled them from my day bag, shoved my clubbing clothes into it, and stripped down to my underwear. There was a knock at the door. "Izzie? It's Billie, I'm coming in." Billie entered, a plastic bag on his arm. He saw me in my underwear, and I saw him practically get a hard-on from just looking at me. He dropped the plastic bag and walked up to me, putting his hands on my waist. "Izzie, you didn't have to do this for me."

I laughed and stood up on tip-toe to kiss him, then tore his hands from my waist. "It wasn't for you, I was getting into my PJ's. Now turn around so I can finish."

Billie sighed and turned around, but I could tell he did it very reluctantly. Once I was finished, I walked up behind him and kissed him on the neck. "Calm down, Billie, I'm not not having sex with you. I just met you yesterday, you've been my boyfriend for, like, twelve hours, and I realize I hardly know you," I said.

Billie turned around to face me. "You're right. We should have an all-out fact-fest tonight," he said, walking to my back side and wrapping his arms around me.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," I said.

"So," Billie said, taking my hand and leading me to the bed, "where do you want to start?"


	13. THIRTEEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 20 Questions.

"Can I tell it?" Billie asked.

"Sure, but I'll be sure to chime in on parts," I said, smiling.

"Okay, so I remember that it was Mike, Tre, and I, and we were just hanging out after a particularly good practice, and we heard this roaring noise outside last night. About eleven?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, I think," I answered, taking the hand Billie had draped over my shoulder. I saw Ziera smile.

"I was wondering what it was, and neither of these two lazy bums wanted to come with me to check it out so I went by myself, and saw immediately it was a moving truck. I figured I'd be nice and go greet my new neighbor, so I shoved my hands in my pockets and proceeded to walk up the street and say hi."

"I remember seeing you walk up the street. You looked cute with your hands shoved in your pockets," I said.

Billie smiled. "I stood at the edge of the driveway - her driveway - and waited for her to notice me," he said.

I smiled and a chuckle escaped my lips. "Then I noticed you, and I was like, 'Hey, who's that? He's cute.' So when I'm faced with a cute stranger, I certainly wasn't going to just stand there or ignore him."

"I was watching you walk up to me, and, honestly, I was watching your waist for the majority of your trip. It was only when you started coming within close range that I peeled my eyes from your waist and watched your face, which was equally as transfixing," Billie confessed.

I twisted around to kiss him lightly on the lips and then sat back down. "When you stepped into the light of the stake light in my lawn, I was stunned at how fucking hot you were, slash are."

Billie squeezed my hand. "I knew you were different from all the other girls," he said.

"Can you finish this sap-story without anymore of this mushy shit?" Ziera asked jokingly, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed. "Well, I don't know if Billie here can account for that, but I'll try." Ziera smiled. "By the way, Ziera, do you have a nickname or something? Ziera seems like a name that would have a nickname," I said.

She smiled. "Of course. Call me Zie if you want," she answered.

"What about Zoe?" I asked.

She shrugged. "For you, yes." She turned to the guys and Mary Jane. "But none of you other bastards, or MJ, can call me that, okay?" They nodded. "Good," she said, turning back to me. "Continue."

"Where were we, Billie?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Um...oh, right. We were talking, you know, the awkward small talk of meeting a really hot girl, or guy for you, Izzie," he said, squeezing me against him. I smiled. "And...ugh, this is boring."

I laughed. "Can we actually do something?" I asked. Billie kissed the top of my head.

"I can think of something," he muttered. I laughed and turned up my head to kiss him. I went to pull away, but Billie had a hold on me. I smiled behind the kiss and shifted to better push up against him.

Laying out on the couch, one of Billie's hands clamped on my waist and the other was running through my strawberry-blond tresses, our tongues taking a journey through each other's mouths. "OKAY, OKAY, TIME OUT!" Zie yelled.

Billie and I were startled apart, our heads snapping to look at Zie, our breathing slightly labored. I was still on top of Billie, his hands in the same positions. We both licked our lips, our faces turned toward Zie. "What?" Billie asked.

"Would you mind taking that up to your room?" Zie asked.

There was a moment of silence before Billie answered. "Yes," he said smartly, kissing me.

I refused his kiss. "I may be rebellious, but I'm not a whore."

Billie sighed. "Alright, alright. Izzie, do you wanna take this upstairs?"

I shook my head. "I wanna actually do something!"

"Let's go out!" Mary Jane suggested. I hadn't noticed she had been clinging to Mike this entire time. She was also eerily quiet...

"Yeah!" Zie agreed. "We should go out to that new dance club and show off our sexy boyfriends to the world."

I sat up, straddling Billie's hips, and stretching. "Definitely. Just let me touch up."

"Why of course. I know I certainly need a little touching up. Arizona, can I borrow your hairbrush? And a little bit of makeup?" Zie asked.

"Yeah, sure, it's upstairs in my bag," I said, climbing off my boyfriend and walking upstairs with Zie. Mary Jane followed silently behind.

~~~

Billie and I were shoved up against the wall in a dark corner. He was holding me up by my thighs, and we were kissing fiercely, my hands clasped tightly around his neck. There were two bottles of beer on the floor, knocked over from our motions. They had belonged to us before we abandoned them for kissing against the wall. All six of us had had our share of alcohol, three beers each, and Zie, Mary Jane, and I had each done a single shot of vodka, so we were just about as drunk as the boys were.

Billie broke away, panting, re-centering his grip on my legs as he held me against the wall and my hands remained clasped tightly around his neck. "Hi," he said, smiling.

I grinned and laughed. "Hi." I kissed him again.

He let me down so my feet touched the ground. My legs were stiff after being held up against the wall for half an hour. I wiggled each of them around, trying to regain feeling in both of them. "Having fun?" Billie asked, his arm now snaked around my waist.

"Tons," I answered, interlacing my fingers with the ones of the hand of the arm snaked around my waist.

"I think we should go find our companions," Billie suggested, skirting along the throng of sweaty dancers.

"Yes, definitely. Where should we start looking?"

"Well, I'm almost positive Tre took Zie to the opposite corner, where I'm almost positive that he's fucking her. Let's see, shall we?"

I laughed. "Alright."

Billie was right. There were few people in the opposite corner, leaving Tre and Zie's sex-capade to be viewed openly. Billie and I stood there for a few minutes, watching their rhythmic up-and-down movements. They were both sweating, a visible sheen covering their entire bodies as they continued to move in synchrony. You could even hear Zie's screams of pleasure and release over the thumping bass line in the background as the two bodies reached their climax. Tre slid off of Zie, putting both of them into full view of everyone that could see.

Zie's head turned down, her cheek touching the cushion that was sewed into the stone seat. Her eyes wandered, finally landing on Billie and I standing a mere few feet from them. Instead of freaking out and trying to cover herself up, she smiled and started laughing, making her breasts jump up and down. She nudged Tre. "Tre, Tre, look who's here!" she said, a smile still on her face.

Tre looked over at Billie and I, and he was the sensible one, scrambling to grab a piece of clothing to cover himself up. "Billie, what the FUCK?!"

"Hey, Tre. We just came to look for you, Zie, Mike, and Mary Jane, and figured we'd start here, because this is so like you to fuck your girlfriend in a dark corner," Billie said calmly. It made me giggle.

"Like this isn't exactly what you did," Tre remarked, sitting up and pulling up his boxer shorts. He threw Zie's bra and underwear at her, and she started putting them on, the smile still on her face.

"It isn't, actually," I chimed in. "We both kept all of our clothes on the entire time."

"Well that's a first," Tre said, buckling his pants. Zie pulled her shirt over head and fished a pocket mirror out of her purse.

"Nice sex hair, Zoe," I remarked as she looked in her mirror and started running her fingers through her hair.

"Ha ha, thanks. Go find Mike and Mary Jane, we'll meet you at the entrance in ten, okay?"

"Yeah, great. Any idea where they might be?" I asked.

Billie tugged at my waist. "I know where they are, Izzie, come on." He turned me toward the bar. "See you two at the entrance in ten!" he called back to Zie over his shoulder.

Billie and I found Mike and Mary Jane slumped over the bar, both probably passed out. Billie detached himself from my waist as he walked over to the two of them. He started to shake Mike awake. "Yo, Mike, you awake, man?"

Mike slowly sat up. "Hey, Billie," he slurred. Mike turned to Mary Jane. "MJ, baby, come on, it's time to go."

Mary Jane sat up ever slower. "Okay, okay, wet's goe," she slurred, her words hardly comprehensible. I felt bad that she was going to have one of the worst hangovers tomorrow morning.

Billie and I met Tre and Zie (fully clothed) by the entrance ten minutes later, just as we had promised, a half-conscious Mike and Mary Jane in tow. "Yikes," Zie muttered as we pulled them out the door.

When we got back to Billie's house, my mother gave me a call on my cell. She wasn't very angry that I didn't come home at all today because it gave her some time alone with Aran. I really didn't care to know the details, but she told me that she would be sending Aran over with some clothes for tomorrow. She told me that she would prefer that I sleep over again, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. I really didn't want that mental image...

"Well, Billie, it seems you're stuck with me again. My mom's boyfriend is coming over with some clothes for me," I said once I had gotten off the phone.

"I'm perfectly okay with that," he said, kissing my neck.

"Let's go upstairs," he said. "Good night, everyone..."

People murmured their "good night"s as we stumbled up the stairs and into Billie's bedroom. We had just flopped down onto the bed when the doorbell rang. "That's probably Aran," I said.

"I'll go get it," Billie said, sitting up. He left to go answer the door and I took the opportunity to get changed into my PJ's. I pulled them from my day bag, shoved my clubbing clothes into it, and stripped down to my underwear. There was a knock at the door. "Izzie? It's Billie, I'm coming in." Billie entered, a plastic bag on his arm. He saw me in my underwear, and I saw him practically get a hard-on from just looking at me. He dropped the plastic bag and walked up to me, putting his hands on my waist. "Izzie, you didn't have to do this for me."

I laughed and stood up on tip-toe to kiss him, then tore his hands from my waist. "It wasn't for you, I was getting into my PJ's. Now turn around so I can finish."

Billie sighed and turned around, but I could tell he did it very reluctantly. Once I was finished, I walked up behind him and kissed him on the neck. "Calm down, Billie, I'm not not having sex with you. I just met you yesterday, you've been my boyfriend for, like, twelve hours, and I realize I hardly know you," I said.

Billie turned around to face me. "You're right. We should have an all-out fact-fest tonight," he said, walking to my back side and wrapping his arms around me.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," I said.

"So," Billie said, taking my hand and leading me to the bed, "where do you want to start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the author, this is one of my favorite chapters.


	14. FOURTEEN

There was a loud knock on the door, waking me. I stared at the door with contempt, wondering who the fuck wanted to disturb my beauty sleep after my night with Billie last night. "Billie? Arizona?" Mike said, cracking open the door and poking his head in.

His eyes met mine and saw I wasn't wearing anything on top. He hastily turned around and closed the door behind him. "Um...would you...," he started, the awkwardness thick between us.

"My clothes are on the floor, so that would require effort, first of all. And I would put something on, but, as you may have glimpsed when you first walked in the door, Billie has his arms snaked around me, and I don't want to risk waking him, so I'm stuck topless and exposed," I explained to him. "If you want to find a towel or something from the floor, you can throw that over me if it makes you more comfortable, although I'm not sure it would stay."

The door opened again. It was Tre. "Mike? Why are you standing like that? Oh, shit!" He noticed me laying behind Mike. "That's why." He poked his head around Mike's figure to look at me. "Hi, Arizona, you and Billie have fun last night?"

"We kept our pants on, Tre, chill. But yes, nevertheless," I answered, smiling.

"Nice rack, by the way."

I rolled my eyes. "If Billie's arms weren't pinning me to him, I would throw something at you right now."

Tre laughed. "Of course you would. If Billie wakes up before noon, tell him to get dressed and come downstairs. We're playing a loose game of truth-or-dare, and Billie always adds something extra."

"I'll pass on the message," I said. It was at that point that Billie stirred, just as Tre was closing the door behind a very embarrassed Mike.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he murmured, squeezing me then releasing me, stretching his arms over his head. I did the same, cracking my elbows. "That sounded nice."

"It was. Did you just sleep through what just happened?" I asked, the corners of my mouth curling up into a smile.

"Yes. What did just happen?"

I rolled over, smiling. "Well, Mike, knocked on the door, wanting to ask us a question. He opened the door without waiting for an answer, so he got a eyeful of me," I said, gesturing.

Billie laughed. "Lemme guess what happens next: He's extremely embarrassed so he turns around and quickly closes the door behind him, stuttering and stammering awkwardly."

"That's about right. Then I proceeded to explain to him how I would cover up, but your arms were holding me pinned to you, so it was impossible without waking you up."

Billie kissed my nose. "You're so considerate." I giggled and kissed him on the lips, a smile never leaving mine. "So what was the message that Mike wanted to relay?"

"He never got over the awkwardness. Tre poked his head in, wondering what was taking so long, he made some lewd comments, and then told me to tell you that everyone's playing a loose game of truth-or-dare downstairs, and that you always add something extra," I explained.

Billie laughed again, probably remembering other times when he and the guys played truth-or-dare in his kitchen "the morning after". "I assume there was a 'get dressed' comment involved."

"You would be correct."

"Fuck it. If I were you, though, I would heed his advice."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, Billie, I'm not a nudist. Or a whore."

"I'll have to see to the latter part of that," Billie teased.

I sat up in bed. "You ass."

Billie started laughing again. "Come on, put some clothes on and we'll go downstairs."

I swung my legs over the bed, leaning down to pull up my bra and tank top. I ran my brush through my messy hair briefly before deciding just to sweep it up into a ponytail. I stood up, turning to face Billie. "Okay, get your lazy ass out of bed and we'll go see just what Tre was talking about."

Billie smiled in remembrance again as he swung his legs over the bed, threw a button-down over his chest, and took my hand, leading me down the stairs.

~***~

There was raucous laughter reverberating off the kitchen walls. "Okay, okay," I said, trying to calm everyone down. "I think it's Billie's turn."

"I just went!" he protested.

"Then whose turn is it?!" I yelled.

"Tre's," Billie answered, landing accusing yellow-green eyes on Tre.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, an arm around Zie's waist. "Oh fine. Um...," he started, drawing out the syllable, making everyone start laughing again. He held in his laughter, only a few giggles escaping his wide smile. "Billie."

"Didn't you just do me?" Billie asked.

"No. That would have been Ari's job last night, but apparently you went soft and stopped at the waist," Tre said. There was a chorus of 'oh!'s and 'ouch...'s before Billie found a witty comeback.

"At least I would have used a condom. I don't want my girlfriend getting pregnant." Silence.

"Not cool, Billie, you know how scary that was for us," Zie said, shooting Billie a disappointed look.

I looked from Tre, to Zie, to Billie, and back to Zie. Glancing at Tre's furious face, I said, "Billie, just take your turn and stop complaining." Tre and Zie both took big breaths to calm themselves. I looked over at them and saw Zie mouthing "Thank you." I smiled and mouthed "You're welcome" back.

"Okay, um...," Billie started, looking around at the couples stationed around his kitchen island counter. "Izzie," he said, looking over at me.

"What?"

"I'm picking you."

"Is that allowed?"

"What? Picking your girlfriend? Sure. Now choose."

"Fine. Truth."

"You have to recount, in specific detail, what happened last night after we got back from the club," Billie said.

I stared at him. "I hope you're not being serious." His facial expression didn't change. "What would happen if I were to refuse?" I asked.

"We would have to think of a punishment for you," Billie answered.

I thought for a moment. "I refuse."

"Alright, then, we'll return in a moment with your punishment," Billie said, releasing my hand and walking with everyone else into the other room. I smiled after them and decided to explore around the kitchen while they were gone. I started poking my head into random cabinets and drawers, learning where Billie's mom kept what and where it was. About ten minutes later, everyone returned, expressionless faces determined not to betray their agreement upon my "punishment". "We have all reached an agreement upon your punishment. Sorry it took so long, we couldn't find something to agree on," Tre said, his voice imitating a football referee.

"So what is it? It better be good if it took you all ten fucking minutes," I said.

Mike smiled, and I caught a glimpse, but I turned my head back to Tre, seeing as he was the one to announce my "punishment".

"Your punishment for not wanting to accept Billie's truth question, agreed upon by the five persons standing in this kitchen, is..." Tre gestured to Billie, who smiled evilly.

"Your punishment is to spend an hour with Tre," Billie said.

"That's your punishment for me? You spent ten minutes agreeing upon that?" I asked incredulously. Knowing smiles spread across everyone's faces.

"And no one can control what he does," Billie added. I looked over at Tre, who smiled innocently at me.

"Can I refuse this?" I asked.

"But you said it didn't sound so bad," Tre replied. "And if you didn't, it would hurt my feelings."

Everyone chuckled. "Fuck your feelings, what about my personal safety? Or my virginity, for that matter. That's the thing I'm most worried about!" I protested.

"Oh, don't worry, Tre knows not to cross any lines like that. He's not that evil," Mike remarked.

"Thank you, Michael," Tre said, looking over at him and putting his clasped hands over the top of his chest in a heartfelt gesture.

"So what are you waiting for?" Billie asked.

"Tre's waiting for you," Zie said, releasing his hand and showing me into the room they were all just in.

I gulped as I followed Zie's arm around the corner. The door closing behind me wasn't a help to already racing heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously love the character of Tre.


	15. FIFTEEN

I cautiously walked around the corner, not knowing what to expect. This is Tre Cool we're talking about.

I spotted Tre sitting on the couch Billie and I had laid on that first day I came over to watch Green Day practice. "Hey, Arizona," he said, looking up at me. He patted the seat next to him. "Come sit."

I sat down next to Tre, watching him, wondering what his first move would be. "So..."

"So what?" Tre asked. He checked his wristwatch. "Only fifty-nine more minutes to go."

I winced. "Can I tell you something?"

"Does it have to do with how awkward you feel sitting right here? On this couch? Right next to your boyfriend's best friend?" I nodded. "Then tell away."

"That was pretty much it."

"Oh. Well...um...what do you wanna do?" Tre asked.

"I thought you were going to do something perverted," I told him, giving him a surprised look.

"That's just a facade, Arizona. Keeps the girls away," he said, smiling.

"Well it certainly works...," I muttered.

"If you won't tell everyone what happened between you and Billie last night, will you tell just me?" Tre asked, curiosity injected into his voice.

I looked at Tre, searching his face for some sort of a twist or something. "I guess that's not terrible...," I said. "Or perverted," I added.

Tre smiled and shifted so that he was sitting across from me. "You wanna lay out? You're welcome to," he said. I smiled for once and stretched out my legs on top of Tre's.

"Okay, well, we got home and we kinda went upstairs right away. We didn't jump into anything, we just kinda laid there and we were just talking." Tre fake-yawned. I kicked him. "Sorry this isn't the big sex story you were looking for, Frank."

Tre shot me a look. "How do you know my real name?"

I laughed at Tre's sudden shocked expression. "Billie told me. He told me Mike's real last name, too," I answered.

"That's just like Billie. Always doing things his way," Tre remarked, smiling.

I smiled and continued, "We started off asking basic questions about each other. Almost right away, Billie discovered my weak spot."

"Where is it?" Tre interrupted.

"Like I would tell you. You would only use that to my disadvantage," I said. My voice dropped a notch, remembering. "Then I learned about Billie's dad."

Tre sighed. "Yeah? How'd that happen?"

"He asked if I had any siblings, and I said no, it's just me and my mom, that my dad left when I was ten. Billie then said 'At least you have a father.' and I was like what are you talking about? and then he said that his dad died when Billie was ten."

"How was Billie? Talking about all this, I mean."

"At first, it was just a single tear rolling down the side of his cheek when he told me, then it finally settled in for me and I instantly shoved my hands under his back - since we were laying on his bed - and squeezed him tight to me. I kept saying how sorry I was and I could feel Billie crying under me. I felt so bad for him." I sighed and shook my head. "When I withdrew my hands from behind his back and Billie had stopped crying - I know, it sounds really weak - he told it was okay because I didn't know."

"Crying doesn't make you weak," Tre said.

I looked at Tre, right into his bright blue eyes. I happened to notice they were a little green. A greenish-blue, like how Billie has yellow-green eyes. I wondered if multi-toned eyes was a commonality between the three guys. "So Tre Cool has a deep side."

"It's been known to pop out here and there," he said, crossing his arms and smirking.

I smiled and continued, my voice still soft and low, "I then asked Billie how his dad died and he told me it was cancer. I told him I was sorry again, and then, you don't know this, yesterday afternoon, my mom's boyfriend from back in San Diego came here to Oakland to live with her and they wanted to talk, alone, so they kicked me out for a little while. I didn't know anyone besides Billie in my new neighborhood, so I walked across the cul-de-sac to Billie's open garage. When I walked in, Billie was sitting on one of the stone benches on the wall and he had an acoustic guitar with him, about five sheets of music set out in front of him. He was quietly playing a song I hadn't heard before. I had walked under the garage door and sat down next to Billie. When Billie stopped playing and held his head in his hands, crying, I put my hand on his back, startling him. He relaxed when he saw it was me, but he said he was really embarrassed that I was seeing him cry. I laughed. Well, last night, Billie told me that that song was about his dad."

Tre nodded his head slightly, taking this all in. "You must be pretty special."

I raised an eyebrow, curling a leg up to my chest. "What do you mean?"

Tre looked me, right into my bright blue eyes. "Billie doesn't talk about his dad a lot. He hardly talks about him with us and we're practically an extension of his family. If he told you about his dad without a lot of hesitation, there's definitely something about you that Billie likes. Then there's definitely something different about you, Arizona," Tre explained, never breaking eye contact. "You have really pretty eyes," he added, turning his face down so I wouldn't see his faint blush.

I smiled, a chuckle escaping my lips. "Embarrassed, Tre?" I asked.

Tre looked back up at me, his face soft and vulnerable-looking. "I'm not one for giving compliments," Tre said. "At least not to anyone who's not my girlfriend," he added.

"Well, if you makes you feel any better, thanks," I said. Tre smiled, making his blue-green eyes brighten. "Billie's a lucky guy," Tre muttered.

I smiled. "You're turning into quite the hypocrite. You say you don't give compliments to anyone else except Zie, but you've already given me two," I said.

Tre smiled a little, moving ever closer to me. I noticed a hint of nervousness on his face. "Would it be okay if I kissed you? It wouldn't mean anything, I just wanna see what would happen."

I searched his face for a sign of a trick or a catch again, but could find none. Tre Cool was being serious. I nodded, wondering what would happen. Tre moved in slowly, awkwardly, his lips finally meeting mine.

His lips were cold meeting mine, making me jump slightly. The nervousness I saw on his face I could sense in his hesitant kiss. I started to kiss him back, and I noticed how gentle Tre was being, like he was afraid he was going to break me or something. I heard something from around the corner, but didn't pay much attention; I was captivated by Tre's soft and gentle kiss.

Suddenly, a body ripped Tre's mouth from mine. Someone was rolling around on the floor with Tre, another guy. After a moment, I realized it was Billie. OH, SHIT. "Billie!" I yelled. The scuffle didn't stop. "BILLIE!" I screamed. The scuffle still didn't stop. Seeing no other options, I threw myself onto Billie and Tre, hitting whatever person was nearest. "Fuck!" I yelled, an elbow thrusted into my stomach. The fight ceased instantly.

"Arizona, what the fuck did you do that for?!" Tre yelled, blotting the blood coming from his nose with his hand.

"Well, Billie wouldn't stop beating the shit out of you if I just yelled at him so I had to take some action!" I yelled back, my hand on my stomach. "Who the fuck elbowed me in the stomach?"

"Could've been me. I was trying to elbow Billie in the face to get him off me," Tre said.

"Fuck you," I said.

"Calm down! It was an accident, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had hopped on top of us!" Tre said defensively.

"What the fuck were you doing, Izzie?!" Billie yelled, finally speaking.

"Calm the fuck down, Billie, Tre asked before he kissed me. It didn't mean anything," I said as calmly as I could, trying to diffuse Billie's anger before he went back to beating the shit out of Tre.

"It looked like you were kissing back!" Billie yelled.

"Billie! I'm right here! There's no need to yell at me!" I said, tears starting to fall from my eyes as I raised my voice at Billie.

I wasn't sure who got to me first, I think it was Billie, but I don't know, I was too busy trying to run away.


	16. SIXTEEN

I didn't know where I was running, and I didn't care, I just wanted to get away! I kept running right out Billie's front door into the snowy expanse of my neighborhood, not giving a shit about how cold it was or that I didn't have a jacket. If I kept running, I would keep warm.

I thought about going home, but then I would have to explain everything to my mom and Aran, which I wasn't keen on doing. I wasn't keen on talking to anyone, I just wanted to keep running. Running and running and running away.

I didn't pay attention to where I was running, so when I finally stopped, I had no fucking clue where I was. Even worse, I had no jacket on, and now that I had stopped running, I was freezing. I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying futilely to keep myself warm, but I didn't have much fat on me, so that was useless.

Lost, cold, confused, and angry, I started walking back the way I came, but since I hadn't paid any attention to where I was going when I was running, I had no idea which way I came. I decided it would probably be better if I kept moving forward, instead of trying to go backward. The possibilities of getting lost were much greater if I tried to go backwards.

So I turned around, looking out over the snowy expanse my angry brain had told my feet to carry me to. I had absolutely no fucking clue where I was, and there wasn't anyone around to tell me where I was or how to get back to where I had come from.

I pulled my phone out from my pocket, remembering I had at least that with me. I surfed through my contacts, looking for a name that might help me. Every name was either back in San Diego, eight hours away, or back at the place I had just left, and if I tried summoning one of them for help, I know Billie would just plead to be taken with them, and I didn't want to see Billie or Tre or anybody. But I needed help, so I just kept walking, trying to keep the blood flowing.

The cold was too much. After about only five minutes, I couldn't stand to walk any further, so I walked up the nearest driveway and rang the doorbell of the nearest house, hoping someone would be home to help me.

A woman answered the door. "Hello," she said, stepping outside in her bathrobe. She then noticed I wasn't wearing a coat. "What are you doing outside without a coat on? You must be freezing! Come inside, dear, let's get you warmed up." I just nodded and let the woman help me inside.

She sat me down on the couch, throwing multiple blankets on me and then walking into the kitchen. I just sat there under the blankets, shivering, silently thanking the strange woman that let me into her house. She returned to my side a few minutes later, rubbing her hands up and down my arms in an attempt to get me warmer faster. "What were you doing out in the cold like that? You could catch your death out there!"

I smiled at her language. "My name is Arizona Willows. I just ran away from my friend's house," I answered.

"Wait a moment," the woman said, looking at me. "You're Arizona Willows?" she asked. I nodded. "Do you know who I am?" she asked. I shook my head. "I'm Ziera's mother."

I stared at her, stunned. "You're Mrs. Carpinter?" I asked incredulously. She nodded. "Well this has to be the biggest coincidence I have ever stumbled upon," I muttered. Mrs. Carpinter got up and walked back into the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She handed it to me; I took it. "Thanks," I said, taking a sip. The warm liquid slid down my throat, making me smile and settle into the blankets.

"Did you run from Billie Joe's house?" Mrs. Carpinter asked, sitting down next to me with her own mug. I nodded, sipping. "Why didn't anyone try and stop you?"

"They did, but I was too fast. I was out the door before anyone could do anything."

"Goodness, does anyone there know that you're here?" Mrs. Carpinter asked, a hand over her chest.

"No, no one knows where I am, not even my mother. She thinks that I'm still over at Billie's house," I answered.

"Do you have your phone on you?" I nodded. "Then I think you should at least call Billie Joe, let him know where you are. The way Ziera talks about the way Billie Joe talks about you, I would bet he's worried sick," Mrs. Carpinter said. I nodded, pulling my phone from out of my pocket.

I dialed Billie, hoping he wouldn't be mad at me and answer his phone. He answered on the second ring. "Arizona?"

"Hi, Billie."

"What the hell, babe, why'd you run off like that? Without your coat, even!"

"Calm down, Billie, I'm fine. It was actually a really big coincidence that I ended up at Zie's house. Her mom is keeping me warm," I said.

"Oh, thank God. Do you want me to come get you?" he asked.

"If you want to. But bring Tre with you when you come," I requested.

"Izzie..."

"Billie, those are my conditions: If you want to come get me, you have to bring Tre with you. Either you do it, or not."

Billie sighed. "Alright. We'll be out the door in five minutes. We just have to make sure Tre doesn't get any blood in my car."

"You have no one else to blame for that but yourself."

"He was kissing you!" Billie yelled.

"We'll talk about it when you get here!" I yelled back.

Billie took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Okay. We'll be there in about ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay. Bye," I said.

"Bye, Izzie." Billie hung up. I shut my phone closed, shoving it back in my pocket.

"So is everything alright?" Mrs. Carpinter asked.

"It will be once Billie and Tre get here. We're gonna work this out the old-fashioned way," I said, taking a deep breath and another sip of my hot chocolate, cold now from me not drinking it.


	17. SEVENTEEN

Billie and Tre arrived about fifteen minutes later. When I heard them enter the house, I watched the large archway from the kitchen into the living room to see which one of them would get here first.

No doubt it was Billie. He saw me, and strode over to me, pulling me into a bear hug. He squeezed me tight like he would never let me go. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him back, trying to convey an apology in a gesture. Eventually, Billie released me. He pulled the footstool over from the chair next to the couch and sat down across from me, holding my hand. "Why did you run like that, Izzie?" he asked quietly.

I sighed, squeezing his hand. "I needed to get away."

"Away from what?"

"You," I said, taking my hand away from Billie's.

Billie looked taken aback. "Me?" he asked.

"Yes, you. You were acting like a savage animal, Billie, I couldn't stand to be near you."

"So you decided, instead of just running upstairs and locking yourself in my bedroom or something, to run out the front door. Into the snow. Without a jacket. In the middle of January," Billie said.

"Yes! Can we just get back to your house?" I asked impatiently.

Billie checked the nearest clock. "Yeah, let's go. I told everyone we wouldn't be long," he said, standing up and then helping me up.

As I stood up, I noticed Tre standing in the archway, a blood-soaked piece of cotton visible out the left side of his nose. "We brought your jacket for you," he said, handing it out to me.

"Thanks," I said, taking it. "Are you okay?"

Tre nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've had worse things happen to me."

I smiled. "Okay. Come on, boys, we have a problem to work out," I said, shoving my arms through the sleeves of my jacket.

The drive back to Billie's house was painfully silent. Everyone was afraid to speak, afraid to say the wrong thing, afraid to break the silence and set someone off. When we pulled into the driveway, I leaned over Billie and locked the doors, one hand on his wrists to prevent him from stopping me or unlocking the doors and getting out. "What are you doing?" Billie asked, looking over at me.

I looked back at Billie, looked back at Tre, and looked back to Billie. "No one is leaving this car until we have this little problem solved, alright? If anyone tries to leave before it is, I'll punch you. Got it?" I asked.

Billie took a deep breath, obviously not wanting to do this. "Alright."

"Tre?" I asked, looking back at him.

He looked down at the floor and back up at me before answering. "Fine."

"Good. Now, I will let you each have a turn at saying whatever it is you want to say. Billie, since you were so eager to leave the car, you can speak first," I said, motioning to Billie. He undid his seat belt and turned around to face Tre. I placed a hand on his arm. "But you can't hurt him. You've done enough damage already," I said.

Billie sighed. "Tre, I've never really given a shit about what you've done, or whom you've dated, or whom you've fucked, but I know you know not to fuck with any of us. And by us, I mean Mike and I. And when I walk into my living room and see one of my best friends who's practically my family kissing my girlfriend, shit happens. What the fuck happened that you were kissing my girlfriend?"

Tre took a deep breath before answering. "Billie, I've always been a little concerned about the girls you've fucked, some of them weren't the brightest bulb in the tanning bed, but when I met Arizona, and you said that she had just moved in down the street, I knew from the way you spoke her fucking _name_ that she wasn't just another girl. And, honestly, I was so fucking _jealous_ that you had gotten to her first, that you were the first person that she met, that you had pretty much solidified her as your girlfriend. And I just wanted to get a chance to at least see what it would be like to have just a few minutes alone with her. When I got that chance, I took it. I didn't think you would react so harshly, man."

I smiled. "See, Billie? You were just blowing it out of proportion," I said.

"Can I ask you something, Arizona?" Tre asked.

I turned to face him. "Yeah, sure."

"What did you think?"

I laughed. "I knew you end up asking me that question. Honestly, it was sweet. Gentle. It reminded me of the first time Billie kissed me, except I knew that I was kissing you." Tre smiled triumphantly. "Your lips were cold, but that's neither here nor there," I added, chuckling. Tre laughed, still smiling.

I looked over at Billie. He smiled at me. "I thought I would've been angry at that, but you mentioned me, so I'm okay with it. And didn't you say he asked first? Before you ran out the door?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, good. You wouldn't do that on purpose, right?" Billie asked, vulnerability in his yellow-green eyes.

I smiled and kissed him lightly. "Of course not. I'm yours," I answered.

Billie grinned and kissed me back, a bit more passionately. I broke off, remembering Tre was in the back seat of a locked car. I jerked my head toward him, and Billie looked back at Tre. "Sorry," he muttered with a small smile.

Tre laughed. "Thanks for remembering."

"I didn't. Arizona did," he said, gesturing to me. Tre looked at me; I smiled.

"Can we get out of the car now?" Tre asked.

I laughed. "Yes. Billie?" I said, turning to face him.

"On it," he said, unlocking the doors.

We all exited, Billie locking his car behind him, and we entered the house, Billie and I hand-in-hand. Zie, Mike, and Mary Jane came running to the door. "Holy hell, what took you three so long?" Zie asked, Tre's arms wrapping around her waist.

"We were working out the problem," I answered, squeezing Billie's hand. He squeezed back, wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing the top of my head and rocking back and forth.

"I'm assuming that was successful," Mary Jane called from down the hallway. I was about to ask why she was all the way down there, but then she started running up the hallway, jumping onto Mike's back, giggling uncontrollably as she landed.

I laughed and Billie let me go. I looked up at him and he jerked his head to the side. I smiled, walking around to his back. I put my hands on his shoulders, and he positioned his arms like he was holding something heavy in them right by the sides of his chest. "Jump!" he said; I did so, his arms securing my legs and my arms locking around his neck. "Where to?" he asked.

"Let's go upstairs and get my stuff. My mom's probably gonna want me home soon," I replied.

"On it," Billie said, hoisting me up on his sides and carrying me up the stairs piggyback-style.


	18. EIGHTEEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June: Green Day's high school graduation.

"Mom, Aran, let's go, we're gonna be late!" I called up the stairs. Today was Billie's graduation.

"Calm down, Arizona, cut your mom some slack, she's pregnant!" Aran called back down to me.

I groaned. "I told Billie we'd be leaving, like, now!"

My mom appeared at the top of the stairs, Aran holding her hand. "Goodness, Arizona, I've never seen you so excited for a school function," she remarked.

I checked the time off my phone, tapping my black heels eagerly against the wood floor. "I'm not excited, Mom, I'm just afraid of being late. I told Billie we would be leaving, like, now!" I told her.

"Well, we're gonna be a little later than he expects, and he's just going to have to deal with that," my mom said, watching her step as Aran led her down the stairs.

"Let's go!" I whined. I caught my reflection in the glass of my mom's high school trophy display case, and combed my fingers through my hair and pulled down my dress to expose a tad more cleavage. I was wearing a short, pale green number, one that I had altered to fit my skinnier frame. While we were at the tailor's, I begged my mom to let me get some black edging on the dress, which she did, putting a big smile on my face. Billie was going to love it, I just knew it.

"Are you ready?" Aran asked, handing my mom her keys off her desk.

"Yes! Let's go!" I exclaimed, opening the door for my mother. She waddled under the frame, her six-month-pregnant belly leading the way. I fidgeted in my spot holding the door. When both my mother and Aran had exited, I left, closing and locking the door behind me.

I felt my clutch purse vibrate: my phone. I pulled it out, seeing it was Billie and answering it with a smile. "Hey, we're just about to leave."

"I thought you already left!" Billie said.

"Well, when your mom is six months pregnant, you have to allow time for her to get places," I said, chuckling.

"I'll take your word for it. When do you estimate you'll be here?" Billie asked.

"The way Aran drives? Probably close to ten minutes," I answered, smiling at Aran as I buckled my seat belt. Aran rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Okay, see you soon."

"Yep! Bye!" I said, and hung up. I put my phone back in my clutch, snapping it closed.

"The way I drive?" Aran asked.

I laughed. "Oh, come on, Aran, we all know you drive like a maniac even with Mom six months pregnant!" I told him. He just rolled his eyes and smiled again, turning onto the side road that led to my school.

We arrived at the parking lot five minutes later, and I saw Billie waiting on the curb, looking adorable in a dress shirt, tie, and black slacks. He kept telling me that he hated dressing up, that he was going to look terrible, but as I ran up to him, my heels and tight dress hindering the movement of my legs, I was grinning at him. "Billie, what were you talking about this morning? You look adorable!" I told him.

He strode up to me as I tried to run up to him. "And you look absolutely fucking gorgeous. I don't think you've ever looked better," he replied, embracing me about the waist and bringing me in for a passionate kiss. Aran came up to me and cleared his throat right by ear, breaking us apart. "Aran, you're not my father, can you please try and be a little less protective?"

"It's the protectiveness counting for your mother since she's pregnant," he answered.

"What does my mother being pregnant have to do with you being so protective?" I retorted, my arms locked around Billie's neck.

"Just please keep the PDAs to a minimum," Aran requested, returning to the car to help my mother out.

"Sheesh," Billie muttered, kissing me lightly.

I giggled and kissed him back. "I know. He's so overbearing."

"Mr. Armstrong! Would you care to join us?" a demanding voice belonging to none other than the principal yelled from behind Billie.

He groaned and kissed me one last time. "See you out in the audience," he said.

"I'll be cheering for you!" I called after him. Someone grabbed me around the waist, making me squeak and whip around. It was Tre, holding Zie's hand as I turned around. "Holy shit, Tre, don't do that!"

He laughed. "I couldn't resist. Ready to cheer obnoxiously for our best friend?" he asked.

"Yes! Is Mary Jane here?"

"She's already sitting out in the audience. We should join her if Billie's been called to line up."

"I agree. My mom and Aran are already sitting out there, too." Zie held out her hand. I laughed, taking it. She swung both my hand and Tre's hand as we walked down the grassy slope to the seats for the ceremony.

~***~

We all did as we said we would: When Billie's name was called, Zie, Tre, Mary Jane, and I all cheered obnoxiously. A lot of people shot us looks (including my mom and Aran, who weren't cheering as loudly), but we just cheered louder. We did the same thing for Mike when his name was called. We only hoped that they would the same for us when we graduated next year.

When the ceremony was over, I searched for Billie through the crowd of milling graduates and their family and friends. I spied Billie's pitch black head and made my way over to him, a small woman taking his picture. I smiled as I walked up to him after his picture had been taken. "I'm so proud of you, Billie," I told him, giving him a small kiss.

"Thanks," he said. "This'll be you next year."

I laughed. "I know! I already want to get out of here."

"Hi," the woman said, walking up to us. "You must be Arizona. I've been dying to meet you."

"Oh! You must be Mrs. Armstrong!" I exclaimed, smiling.

"Yes. I've heard so much about you!" she said, shaking my hand.

"Thanks. Strangely, I haven't heard Billie say much about you." She gave him a look. "Billie Joe!"

"What, Mom? I don't talk about you much! I find that girls don't like to hear about my mother," Billie defended.

"Why? Your mom seems like such a sweetheart!" I said.

"Thank you, Arizona! I like her, Billie Joe. How come I haven't met before now?" Mrs. Armstrong asked.

"I don't know, Mom. Maybe because you're always out working," Billie answered.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I? Be happy for that at least."

"If only Dad were here," Billie murmured. Mrs. Armstrong walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"He would have been so proud of you," she murmured back to him.

Billie smiled. "Come on," I said. "Mrs. Armstrong-"

"Please, call me Ollie."

"Ollie, if it's alright, we're having a party back at my house for Billie. You're welcome to come. I bet my mom would love to meet you," I told her.

"Great! Let's get going!" she said.

~***~

It was like Billie and I were back in the club again. His arms had my legs pushed up against the wall, holding me up, his tongue re-exploring the distant corners of my mouth. He broke off for a moment, breathing heavily. "Do you want to go upstairs?" he whispered.

I nodded. "Let's go."

Billie took my hand and we ran up the stairs to the first floor. Running around the corner, we took the next flight of stairs to my bedroom, my bed looking so warm and inviting. Closing the door with his foot, Billie started kissing me again, backing up towards my bed.

We fell down onto it, kissing passionately. Billie's hands slid under my shirt, slowly slipping it off. About ten minutes later, he broke off, his hands on my waist. "May I?"

I giggled. "You may."

Billie smiled, slipping my yoga pants off my waist, revealing my white panties. "How fitting," Billie commented.

"How ironic," I countered.

Billie looked up at me. "You sure?"

"For the moment."

Billie smiled, kissing me. He came back up to take off his shirt and tank top, kissing me a couple of times before he came back up to take off his pants. I could see his excitement, and I stopped him before he came back down to kiss me. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "No, Billie. I'm scared."

He smiled a little. "You're too cute."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. That's natural." I smiled and kissed him. Billie looked me right in the eye, his sexy yellow-greens staring into my bright blues. "I love you, Arizona."

I gasped slightly. "Billie..." I breathed, a smile slowly blooming on my face. "I love you, too, Billie."

Billie grinned and kissed me passionately. "I'm glad. I was so afraid that you would refuse me."

I laughed. "I wouldn't. I love you. For real."

"I love you, too. For real." I smiled, kissing him again. "Now come on, let's go find our friends."


	19. NINETEEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth game.

Billie and I had gathered everyone from whatever they were doing and we were now all seated on my basement floor, three couple in a circle. We were all just talking about random shit, about what Billie and Mike were gonna do for a year while they waited for everyone else to graduate, especially Tre, since they needed their drummer to complete their band. "Let's play the truth game!" Zie suggested.

"What's the truth game?" I asked her.

"When we all go around in a circle saying stuff about ourselves or whatever. And you have to start everything you say with the words 'Truth is'," Zie explained, snuggling up under Tre's chin.

"Sounds good to me," I said, leaning back against Billie's chest.

"Okay!" Zie exclaimed. "I'll go first. Truth is, I lost my virginity when I was fifteen."

I gasped. "Sheesh, to whom?"

"That'll have to wait till the next cycle of the circle," Zie answered, making me stick my tongue out at her. She laughed and I smiled, Billie kissing the top of my head. She prodded Tre in the chest. "Go."

"Oh, um, truth is...I've only ever fucked one other girl besides Zie," he said, bending down to kiss her.

"Even I didn't know that," Billie remarked.

"MJ," Zie called.

"Truth is, I used to be a girly-girl," she said.

"Truth is, I ran away from home when I was fifteen," Mike said.

"Holy shit," I muttered, my thumb rubbing back and forth over Billie's shin.

"Truth is," Billie started, "I've only ever had one other legit girlfriend before Arizona."

"Truth is, I'm a virgin," I said. Everyone except Billie gasped.

"You? A virgin?" Tre asked incredulously.

"Why are you so surprised?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Tre.

"You're too pretty to be a virgin," he answered confidently. I looked up at Billie, who smiled down at me. I smiled back at him and he leaned his head down to meet my lips in a small kiss.

"Thanks, Tre, but I'm not sure I'm going to be a virgin much longer. Not with this one here," I said, gesturing to Billie with a smile. He chuckled, kissing the top of my head again.

"Please keep me informed about your virginity status," Tre said, making me giggle.

"You'll be the first to know. Hey, how about we all have a big sleepover here tonight?" I suggested.

"Sounds cool, but none of us have anything to wear for tomorrow," Mike said, the arm he had around Mary Jane's waist squeezing her to him awkwardly.

"Well, why don't you all go and fetch some things from your houses while I run it by my mom?"

"Sure. Let's go, babe," Zie said, releasing Tre's hand and standing up.

"Right behind you," Tre called after her, following her up the stairs. Mike and Mary Jane followed soon after them.

Billie stood up, helping me stand. "Let's go talk to your mom and her boyfriend. I bet you my mom's still here, too," he said, squeezing my hand as I led him up the stairs.

We emerged from the basement, hand-in-hand, approaching my mother and Aran animatedly chatting with Ollie. "Mom?" I asked at a lull in the conversation.

"Yes, Arizona?" she replied, a big grin on her face.

"Would it be okay if all my friends stayed over here tonight?"

"All your friends?" she asked, concern poking through her voice, her grin fading.

"The ones that were just here: Mike, Mary Jane, Tre, and Zie. And Billie," I explained, wrapping our entwined hands around my waist and leaning back into him.

"Well, where did they all go? I just saw them all leave," Mom said.

"I suggested the mass sleepover thing, they said yes, but none of them had any stuff for staying over, so they all went back to their respective houses to get that stuff," I told her.

Mom hesitated a moment before answering, whispering something inaudible to Aran, then turning back to me. "I suppose that's alright. Just try not to make too much noise, alright?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Mom!" I said, letting go of Billie's hands to trot over to my mother and plant a small kiss on her cheek, then running back over to Billie, resuming our previous position.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," she said, turning back to Aran and Ollie. I looked to Ollie and she gave me a huge smile; I smiled back, pulling Billie around to the foyer to wait for everyone to return.

~***~

**Eleven o'clock, that night.**

"Izzie?" Billie whispered in between kisses.

"Billie?" I whispered back to him.

He broke off, smiling at me, his gorgeous yellow-green eyes watching me. "I love you."

I smiled at him, kissing him again. "I love you, too, Billie."

Billie pulled me down onto him, our bodies lined up with each other. I could feel Billie slightly excited underneath my hips, and I gasped when I came in contact with it. I propped myself back up, on my knees on top of Billie. "What?" he asked, his hands running up and down my arms.

"I love you, Billie, but the thought of being naked underneath you at some point scares the shit out of me," I told him, looking him straight in the eye.

I watched his yellow-green eyes search my eyes for something, I didn't know what. "I know it does, but, at some point, you're going to overcome that fear," Billie said, bringing me back down onto him very slowly.

I paid attention to any feeling at my hips, but his excitement was lessening. "Well, yeah, but not yet. And that's a while off."

"But it's going to happen?" Billie asked.

I smiled and kissed him lightly. "Yes."

A huge grin spread across Billie's face as he pulled me down for a long, passionate kiss. "I think I might just have fallen a little bit more in love with you, Arizona."

I flipped over on top of Billie, taking his hands and wrapping them around my waist. "Well, I'm glad. But I can tell you right now, I love you more than you think you love me," I told him.

Billie flipped me over, his hands still around my waist. "Oh yeah? I'll prove to you that I love you more when you let me take you," he said, kissing my neck.

I giggled. "I'll hold you to that," I said, kissing him lightly on the lips. I sighed when I came up, a smile on my face.

"What?" Billie asked, smirking.

"I love the feel of your lips on mine," I told him, kissing him again.

He kissed me back. "How ironic. That's one of my favorite things, too," Billie said, his hands unlocked from around my waist and now set on either side, his thumbs rubbing back and forth under my shirt.

"Your thumbs are cold." Billie stopped moving them. "But that doesn't mean you have to stop," I told him, smiling and kissing his nose.

Billie scrunched his nose. "I love it when you do that," he muttered to me.

I smiled, kissing his nose again. Billie grinned, kissing me on the lips. I settled down onto Billie's chest; he made a strangely good pillow. "You're a good pillow," I murmured to him, my eyelids drooping.

"Glad to hear it," Billie said, kissing the top of my head. I felt one of his hands move from my waist to my shoulder, his fingers stroking my hair. His other hand rested on the small of my back. "I love you, Arizona," he whispered.

I smiled faintly, my eyes closed, falling asleep. "I love you, too, Billie Joe," I said back.

"I love it when you use my full name," Billie said.

That was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep, the feel of Billie's lips on mine making me smile in my sleep. I never thought I would fall in love. Especially with a guy so amazing as Billie Joe Armstrong.


	20. TWENTY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August: Arizona's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a fun chapter to write, but please excuse the fact this is completely unrealistic. These chapters were actually written a long time ago, before I had real-life knowledge of anything related to this story.

It was August, my birthday to be exact. My eighteenth birthday, so now Billie and I were the same age. I kept teasing him about it, but he just kept reminding me that his birthday was in February, and that he would be older than me sooner or later.

Presently, Billie and I were sitting on the edge of Zie's pool, our feet dangling in the water on the deep end, our hands entwined on the tile edging. Zie and Tre were making out in the far corner of the pool, where they could stand. Mike and Mary Jane were spending the day out in Berkeley, for a concert or something, I forget what they said, but they promised they would call me to wish me a happy birthday before it got too late.

"So," Billie said, looking up at me. "What do you wanna do today?"

"I dunno. I assumed we'd be here for a bit longer," I said.

"Well, yeah, but do you wanna go back to your house or my house?"

"Aran is delivering the bag I packed last night to your house around noon, so your house," I answered.

"Okay," Billie said with a small smile, leaning over to kiss me lightly.

I giggled, the sun beating down on my back. I arched it, letting go of Billie's hands, bringing my arms over my head. I held my nose as I slid into the pool, slicking my hair back and away from my face as I surfaced. "Come on in, Billie, the water's perfect!" I called up to him.

I saw he was watching Tre and Zie in the corner. "We just have to stay over here," he said, sliding in. He shook his head back and forth like a dog, beads of water spraying me. When his head stood still, his hair glistened in the sunlight.

"Why?" I asked, chuckling slightly. Billie inclined his head towards the couple, and I looked over to see them fucking. "Oh..."

"Yeah," Billie said, swimming over to me and taking one of my hands. I smiled and swam around to his back, locking my arms around his neck. He sighed, smiling, and started to swim about the deep end, avoiding the sperm-infested waters of the shallow end.

Half an hour (and plenty of kisses) later, Billie hoisted himself out of the pool and back onto the tile edging. I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he extended a hand to me. I took it, planting my feet along the side of the pool wall. I could see Billie's muscles ripple with the effort of pulling me out of the pool. My other hand gripped the edge of the tile edging as I was pulled out, eventually re-seating myself along the edge of the pool, holding Billie's hand.

"Back to square one," Billie murmured, leaning down to kiss me.

~***~

That night, Billie and I were laying on his bed, me laying on my back on top of Billie's chest. I rolled over to look up at him. "It's almost eight o'clock, and you still haven't given me my present yet!" I said, poking him in the chest.

"I've been waiting for Mike and Mary Jane to call you," Billie said.

"Why?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"Because if they called in the middle of me giving you your present, you wouldn't be able to answer," Billie explained.

I gave Billie a suspicious look. "Stop talking about it, you're just making me even more curious to know what my present is!" I told him, playfully slapping him.

He laughed and kissed me. He continued to kiss me, passionately, and I started to form an idea of what Billie's "present" to me was going to be.

Billie broke off, looking up at me expectantly. "That's your present?" I asked.

He nodded happily. "The only one I can give you." His face hardened slightly, becoming more serious. "Is that okay? I have a backup plan," he said.

I hesitated, my face blank. I thought it over carefully; this wasn't something that could be undone. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I watched Billie searched my face for some expression or an answer. "Yeah, that's okay. I'm okay," I told him.

Billie's face bloomed into a huge grin, bigger than I'd ever seen him grin before. His fingers traced small circles in the space between my neck and my shirt. He reached up to my face, caressing it. I smiled and took his hands, kissing them as I lowered down onto him, kissing him lightly.

Billie took action, his tongue hungrily searching the corners of my mouth, like he had been waiting for this moment for an extremely long time. I squeaked when he broke off, panting, shedding his t-shirt. I ran my fingers down his chest, teasing him, only heightening his excitement, which I could feel underneath my hips as Billie's moist lips returned to mine.

We kissed only a few minutes longer until Billie broke off again, this time excitedly sliding his hands up my side, under my concert tee, up and over my shoulders and head. Billie's hungry lips returned to my eager-but-nervous ones, and I could sense that Billie was trying to make this good. I broke off and I stopped Billie's hands from going anywhere, and didn't release them until he stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "Billie, you don't have to try with me. I don't have a precedent."

Billie sighed, smiling. "Right. I kind of phase out when I have sex on my mind. Sorry," he said, kissing me conservatively.

"Oh come on, Billie," I said, trying to sound disappointed.

"Thank you," he muttered, reaching up to me to rejoin his lips with mine.

I had lost track of time kissing Billie, but I estimated it was about another fifteen or twenty minutes before Billie broke off and I rolled off, allowing a few minutes to unbuckle his jeans and shuck them. He rolled back, this time on top of me. I could see his excitement now, making me smile slightly, not to mention much more excited.

Swiftly, Billie unbuttoned my shorts and shucked them, throwing them in the air. Absentmindedly, I wondered where they landed, but Billie's extreme excitement brought me back to the...situation...at hand. I smiled underneath Billie's hungry kiss. I could tell Billie was going to explode if I didn't let him in; besides, I could tell he was running out of things to do.

Sensing that I knew this, Billie unhooked my bra, slowly bringing it up off my shoulders to reveal the flesh beneath. He took in a deep breath, coming back to kiss me. He released small moans in between kisses, letting me know he was ready to finally "give me my present".

He lowered himself onto my breasts, the familiar feeling making it all that more exciting. I was ready to do this; I tried sending Billie a mental message: 'I'm ready, let's go!'

Apparently that message was sent. Billie broke off, panting hard. His eyes hungrily raved my bare body, landing on my panties, the only things between his excitement and me. He looked back up at me for approval. I nodded, a huge smile on my face.

Relishing the moment, Billie slowed a second, taking it all in. It's not everyday you take your girlfriend of seven months' virginity. Slowly, only heightening our excitement, I felt his hands at my hips, his fingers sliding underneath the elastic of my panties one by one. Finally, Billie had gone the entire length of my legs, my underwear finally joining the other clothes scattered about the room. As if guiding me, Billie took my hands and placed them on his hips, his hands returning to mine.

Slowly, teasingly, I slid Billie's boxers down his legs, revealing his full-blown erection. I started to gasp, but quickly turned it into a deep breath, trying to mask how exciting this all was for me. Billie smiled, his hands sliding from my hips up my side. "Ready?" he whispered.

"Go, Billie Joe," I said, making his smile wider.

Carefully, gently, as if he was afraid to break me, he introduced himself to me. As he entered me, I gasped loudly, Billie almost going back out, but coming back in again.

He rocked back and forth, getting on the back of this fucking amazing feeling and starting to ride it to its destination. I released small moans as our hips locked together in synchrony.

Faster and faster, Billie just kept going, riding out this feeling, this fucking amazing feeling that only he could create in me, this fucking brilliant feeling I had never before experienced.

I didn't know what an orgasm was supposed to feel like, but I knew that it was something amazing, and I could tell Billie and I were on the edge of one. Our hips moving back and forth in amazing synchrony, with amazing speed, my small moans escalating to small screams.

That feeling, that fucking brilliant feeling that Billie and I were on the edge of was right there, about to burst through, but I could tell Billie was tiring out. I willed him to go just a little longer, ride out this feeling till its very end.

It came out of me like someone was scratching metal nails against a chalkboard three inches from my ear: a scream as Billie and I reached the edge of this fucking brilliant feeling, bursting over the wall and becoming my very first orgasm.

Billie left me, rolling off, panting. I was breathing so hard, I thought my lungs would burst from my heart pounding so hard I thought it would shoot out of my rapidly rising and falling chest. Neither of us spoke for the longest time, just catching our breath.

"That," I said when I finally had enough breath to speak, "was fucking brilliant."

"Thank you," Billie breathed. "Although you said not to, I did try."

I laughed, turning my head to face him. He was sweaty, his hair damp and shooting out in every single crazy direction, his chest rising and falling about as rapidly as mine.

"I love you, Arizona Willows."

I grinned, my eyelids drooping. "I love you, too, Billie Joe Armstrong."

He snuggled up to me as I fell asleep, dreams of my sex god boyfriend running through my subconscious.


	21. TWENTY-ONE

"Oh shit," I breathed. "Oh, shit. Shit!" I swore, kicking the cabinet door. "Ow," I muttered, rubbing my foot. I sighed, knowing that cursing and kicking cabinet doors wasn't going to make this go away.

I shoved the test into my back pocket, on the hunt for Zie or Mary Jane. Or someone. Really, I just needed someone to talk to; someone _besides_ my boyfriend.

On my way down the stairs, I ran into Zie, almost literally. "Zie!" I exclaimed, gripping her shoulders. "I have to talk to you!"

"Okay, Arizona, calm down." She removed my tense hands from her shoulders. "What do you need to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Can we go somewhere a little more private?" I whispered, leaning in to her ear.

She nodded, following me up to Billie's bedroom. She closed the door behind her as I sat down on the bed. Zie came and saw down next to me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Okay, now, calmly tell me what you want to tell me." I pulled the test out of my back pocket and showed it to her. She saw it, recognized what it was, and gasped, clamping her two hands over her mouth.

"I know," I muttered, shoving the test back in my pocket. I hung my head, tears starting to fall on my pink-and-black striped socks.

"It's Billie's, right?" Zie asked, her hands by her sides.

"Of course, Zie, he's the only guy I've ever slept with," I replied a little harshly. I looked over at Zie. "Sorry."

"It's alright, I can imagine you're a little edgy. Have you told him yet?" she asked.

"No, Zie, I just found out myself," I said.

Zie sighed. "Alright, then. Let's go do that," she said, standing up and taking me by the hand.

I stopped us by the door. "Zie, wait!"

"What? If you know it's true, and you know it's his, why not tell him?" she reasoned.

I sighed, looking at her. "I hate reason," I mumbled, starting to smile.

She smiled at me, pushing the door open. "Come on. The sooner the better," she said, pulling me out the door.

"Billie?" Zie called as we walked down the stairs.

"In here," he called from the living room. _Here we go_ , I thought.

"Hey, babe," Billie said upon seeing me, lifting his guitar over his neck and getting up. He set it down on the chair he was just previously occupying and walked over to me, taking my face in his hands and kissing me deeply. "What's up?"

I took a deep breath before speaking. "Billie, I think you're gonna want to sit down to hear this."

Billie's expression turned from one of happiness and nonchalance to one of concern. Was that a hint of worry I detected in his face, too? "What is it, Izzie?" he asked slowly, climbing over the back of the couch and sitting down, craning his neck to keep his eyes on my face.

I walked around the couch like a normal person, taking the seat next to him. I crossed my legs and sat so I was facing him. Through my peripherals, I saw Zie stand against the wall by the chair where Billie left his guitar.

"Izzie," Billie said, putting a hand on my leg. "What is it?" he repeated. I could see the concern in his yellow-green eyes, melting them so they took on the color of sun-baked grass in the summer.

I took another deep breath, and his hand in mine, squeezing it. "Billie," I began, "I'm just gonna say this because this is going to be a really big shock." I transfixed my eyes on his as I prepared myself for his reaction. "I'm pregnant."

Billie's eyes stayed on mine as his expression faltered, but came back. "Okay."

"That's it?" I asked.

"I mean, wow, Arizona. Wow," Billie gasped.

"Yeah," I said, taking his hand since it had dropped from mine upon initial reaction.

"Are you sure?" he asked timidly.

I pulled the test out of my back pocket and showed it to him, pointing to the little pink plus. "Very."

"Those things can be wrong, you know," Billie said, in denial.

"Billie," I said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You're in denial. I'm pregnant. It's yours."

He took in a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right." A smile bloomed on his face, and he moved in and kissed me quickly. "We're having a baby!" he exclaimed.

"Wait, you're happy?" I asked, starting to smile myself.

"Well, yeah! I mean, I've kinda always wanted to have kids, and I guess now is a good a time as any," Billie remarked, still smiling.

My smile bloomed across my face. "Yeah! Okay! So we're really doing this?" I asked.

"Yeah! I mean, if you want to," Billie said, his smile fading a little, squeezing my hands.

"Billie Joe, I wouldn't do this if it was with anyone else but you," I said, squeezing his hands back and leaning in to kiss him.

He kissed me back, smiling just as wide as he had been. "I love it when you use my full name."

I laughed, releasing his hands and shifting around into the opposite direction from the one I was facing to lean back against Billie's chest. He wrapped his arms around my stomach, right over where our baby was growing. "I know, you've told me."

He kissed the top of my head, keeping his chin there. "I love you, too, Arizona."

I smiled, a giggle escaping my lips. "I love you, too, Billie Joe," I said, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"You see?" Zie asked, coming off the wall. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

I looked over at her. "Shut up, Zie," I said, squeezing Billie's hands.

He kissed the top of my head again, squeezing me to him. Our hands were resting right over my stomach, our baby growing right beneath my skin.

Our baby. I loved the way that sounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know that's cliched. But the entire story is a huge cliche, because I am a lovesick teenager. I'll admit it.


	22. TWENTY-TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama is starting to creep its way in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS: I've copied and pasted from another website, so please ignore the HTML language in-text. When I have more time, the language will be removed and the proper marks will be put in.

_Beepbeepbeep_! _Beepbeepbeep_! _Beepbeepbeep_! Slam! "Shut up!" I groaned. "Stop reminding me that I have to go to school today."

My mom then came into my room, light from the hallway spilling in, making me pull my covers over my face. "It's time to get up, Arizona. First day of senior year!" she said quietly, flipping on the light. I groaned, again, louder. Not seeing that I was rising from my bed, my mom rudely ripped my covers from my hands. The bright light seared my eyes, making me squint and rub my eyes. "Come on, Arizona," she said, a little firmer.

"I'm getting up, I'm getting up!" I whined, batting her hands away.

"Goodness, Arizona, you've certainly been very moody lately," my mom observed.

"Yeah, well, it's for the same reason you've been," I said, subtly hinting at my pregnancy, which neither my mom nor Aran knew about.

"Sure, Arizona. I'll see you downstairs." She turned around and left my room, chuckling.

I sighed, absentmindedly placing a hand on my stomach. I smiled, looking at down at the baby growing underneath my skin.

Yeah, I was excited. Yeah, I was happy. But, at the same time, I was scared as fuck. I didn't know shit about raising a child, and I was still in high school, so I was afraid that I wouldn't see the baby very much and would have to leave it with Billie. But then, at least, babysitting was taken care of. I smiled at this to myself as I climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

When I came back to my bedroom, I opened my closet, wondering what I was going to wear for my first day of my senior year of high school. I couldn't decide between a pink blouse with a white tank top underneath or a black t-shirt I had stolen from Billie, both with navy blue skinny jeans. Picking up my phone from my nightstand, I opened it, surprised to find a text message from Billie dated ten minutes ago. 'wake up, babe. and in case you were wondering, wear my t-shirt <3' it read.

I grinned, sending a good morning text back. When it sent, I closed my phone and threw it on my bed, yanking Billie's t-shirt off of its coat hanger and pulling my skinny jeans out of my dresser. I quickly applied some black mascara and eyeliner, throwing my light brown hair into a ponytail.

Picking my phone up off of my bed, setting it to vibrate and shoving it in my pocket, I headed downstairs, turning lights out behind me. Bouncing around the corner, my mom handed me a hearty bowl of oatmeal, a generous amount of brown sugar mixed in. "Thanks, Mom!" I said happily, spooning a large amount into my mouth.

We heard the door open, and someone walking across the wooden foyer. I turned around with my oatmeal to see my boyfriend strolling toward me, an unknown strange red flower in his hand. "Hey, babe," he said, kissing me. I quickly set down my bowl of oatmeal, kissing him back. "Hey, Ms. Willows," Billie said to my mom when we pulled apart.

"Oh, hello, Billie Joe," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. "I didn't know you would be stopping by."

Aran walked down the stairs a few minutes later in a fancy navy blue suit. "Good morning, Nat," he said, kissing her. She smiled, taking another sip of her coffee. Aran turned to me, noticing Billie standing behind me. "Good morning, Arizona."

"Hey, Aran," I said, waving with my spoon in my hand. Billie chuckled, kissing the top of my head.

"Hello," Aran said to Billie. "It's Billie Joe, right?"

"Yeah," Billie answered.

"Well, good morning. Come to see Arizona off to school this morning?" Aran asked.

"I was actually planning on taking her to school myself," Billie replied. "I have something I want to tell her."

"Oh," my mom said, sounding slightly surprised.

"Is that alright?" Billie asked.

"Yes, yes, that's fine."

"Okay. Izzie, babe, we should get going. Don't want to be late, do we?" Billie suggested, looking down at me.

I set my almost-empty oatmeal bowl on the kitchen table and looked at the time display on the stove. "Yeah," I said through my last mouthful of oatmeal. "Let's go." I walked over to my mom, hugging her. "Bye, Mom, love you."

"Love you, too, sweetheart. Have a good first day!"

"Later, Aran."

"Goodbye, Arizona."

"Come on, let's go," I said to Billie, taking his hand.

"Goodbye, Ms. Willows, Aran!" Billie called as I whisked him out my front door.

When we were in Billie's car, there was a moment of silence as we kissed passionately. "How's the baby?" he asked, sitting up in the driver's seat.

I sat up as well, watching Billie as he started his car and backed out of my driveway. "It's fine," I said.

Billie sighed, making a right off of my street. "I hate that we keep calling the baby 'it'," Billie commented.

"I know, I know," I said. "But we don't know the sex of the baby yet, and we won't for a _while_."

"Yeah, I know. So listen, Arizona."

Oh, crap. I know something's about to happen when Billie uses my full name. "Yeah?" I asked, trying not to sound scared or concerned or anything.

"Green Day is going on its first mini-tour," Billie said.

"That's great, Billie!" I exclaimed, smiling. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, babe," Billie said. "But the thing I wanted to tell you is that we're leaving on Friday."

"Yeah? And when are you gonna be back?" I asked.

"We'll be gone for two weeks," Billie said.

"That's the downside of dating a rock star," I said reasonably.

Billie pulled into the drop-off loop of school, taking his place at the back of the line. "Glad you're not, like, freaking out," Billie said, pulling up.

"I'm fine. But you better call me, like, whenever you can," I told him, unbuckling my seat belt and shouldering my backpack.

Billie pulled up to the crosswalk. "Have a fun first day of your senior year, Izzie," he said, leaning over the gear shift to kiss me. "I love you."

I kissed him back and opened the passenger door. "Thanks, Billie. I love you, too." I shut the door behind me and turned around, facing my school for my last year there.

I took a deep breath and started across the crosswalk. "Hey, Arizona!" I heard Zie call.

"Hey, Zie!" I called back, walking over to her.

"Ready for our last year here at Central Coast?" she asked, a huge smile on her face.

"Fuck yeah! Let's make this the best year ever!" I exclaimed, raising my hand for a high five.

Zie slapped my hand in a high five. "Let's do this!" she yelled.

She opened the door, letting us inside the blue-and-cream-tiled building for our last year of high school. _This is going to be the best year ever_ , I thought, walking through the hallways and seeing all my old friends in the hallways. _Even without Billie here_. I smiled as Zie and I parted ways for our lockers.


	23. TWENTY-THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Day is leaving for its first tour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is September 3, 2010.

"Holy crap...," I muttered to myself as I caught my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a fucking mess: I has put it up yesterday, into a ponytail, but today it just looked like a rat's nest. I didn't bother wiping off the blended streaks of mascara and eyeliner that were caked onto my face from crying myself to sleep last night. I tiredly looked over at the clock: 8 A.M. Billie, Mike, and Tre were leaving for their first mini-tour in two hours, and I needed to get my ass over to Billie's house so I could spend every last second with him before I didn't see him for the next two weeks.

I sighed, squeezing the punk teddy bear Billie had given me for my birthday against my chest. I took in a big breath of the teddy, the bottom of it still smelling just like Billie. I smiled thinking of him as a single tear fell down my face out of the corner of my eye.

My mom then walked through my bedroom door, seeing me see myself in my mirror, and how I was starting to cry again. She walked up to me, gently laying a hand on my shoulder. I looked over at her, my eyes wet with fresh tears that were starting to etch away at the caked mascara and eyeliner lines on my face. "Hi, honey," she said to me quietly, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "How are you?" she asked, rubbing a hand up and down my right arm.

I tore away from her, sitting down on my bed and cuddling Billie's teddy even closer. "What does it look like?" I said, too tired from crying to make my voice have any note of venom in it.

My mom came and sat down next to me, keeping a vigilant hand on her very pregnant stomach like she was afraid she was going to have the baby any day now. Which was probably true, but there were more pressing things than _just her_ having a baby. Her hand returned to my shoulder, squeezing it this time as I sighed and more tears kept flowing. "I know this sucks for you, honey, but two weeks will go by before you know it," she said, smiling as I looked over at her. She stood up, offering me her hand. "Come on, sweetheart. I'll help you look so gorgeous for Billie Joe that he won't ever forget the way you looked when he left." That made me smile, and I took my mom's hand, ready for whatever she was going to suggest to me.

~~~***~~~

"Don't worry, Arizona. Two weeks will go by before you know it," my mom repeated to me as I hugged her and walked out the door to Billie's house. "Give my regards to Billie Joe and his band!" she called after me. I smiled as I headed across the cul-de-sac.

I didn't have to duck under Billie's garage door this morning, because it was open, David and who I assumed was Alan helping Mike load Tre's covered drum set into a white, unmarked trailer that was attached to the back of Mike's truck. I saw half of Billie sticking out of Mike's truck, maybe fishing around for something or standing up the seats in the back. I walked up to him and grabbed his ass, making him jump and hit his head on the frame of the car as he brought his head out. "Who the fuck was - oh, Arizona, it's just you," he said, rubbing the spot where he hit his head.

I was laughing at him, smiling. "Hi, Billie. Sorry I made you hit your head," I said, stepping up on tiptoe to kiss the spot where his hand was.

He smiled, leaning down to kiss me on the lips. His lips were on mine extra long, like he didn't want to leave me. Hell, I know he didn't want to leave me, especially when I was pregnant with his child, but I came into his life _after_ he had scheduled this tour, and I wasn't going to let me hold him back. Green Day needed this.

When we broke apart, Billie's eyes were a soft yellow-green, looking like he was about to cry, but I knew he wouldn't. Not in front of his best friends, not in front of me, and certainly not in front of his older brothers. I smiled widely at him, and he smiled back, kissing me again. When we pulled apart the second time, he sighed, his hands on my waist swaying me side to side. "I'm gonna miss you so much," he murmured, kissing me softly and quickly on the lips.

"Um, hello? I'm the one pregnant with your child. I'm so gonna miss you so much more," I argued, chuckling.

Billie laughed, kissing me yet again. "Okay, okay, you're right." He looked over at Mike and Tre, shaking hands with David and Alan as they retreated back into Billie's house, obviously done with all the help that Mike and Tre needed. Billie looked back over at me, pressing his forehead to mine, not wanting to let me go. "I hate to leave you," he said.

I smiled, lightly kissing him on the lips. "It could be worse," I said.

"Could be raining," Billie said. I laughed, kissing Billie passionately for a few minutes before he could see my grinning face again. "I knew you'd enjoy that."

I kissed him lightly again. "Very much. But what I meant is that it could be worse because I could be, like, ready to have this kid instead of barely being pregnant," I told him.

Billie chuckled. "Yeah, that would be a lot worse. Speaking of being ready to have a kid, how's your mom?" he asked.

"She's good. She's supposed to be due in, like, two weeks, so she really only has one hand," I answered. Billie raised an eyebrow. "Because the other is permanently glued to her stomach."

Billie nodded. "Okay, that makes sense."

"Billie?" Tre asked, tapping him on the shoulder. Billie looked up, his forehead disconnected from mine. "It's time to go," he said solemnly, squeezing Zie's hand. I looked up at Zie, who smiled faintly at me, but I could tell that she had been crying, too, because her face was red. I smiled back at her, trying to hold back my tears.

Billie sighed, leaning his forehead against mine again and kissing me passionately, almost having a miniature make-out by Mike's truck door. When we pulled apart, I could see the trails of tears that had rubbed off on Billie's face. He smiled as he rubbed them off both his face and my face. "I love you so much, Arizona," he whispered.

I kissed him a good couple more times, Billie reciprocating my kisses. "I love you, too, Billie Joe," I whispered back. "Be careful," I told him, sniffling and poking him in the chest.

Billie pulled me into a bear hug, making me cry even harder than I already was. "I will be," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'll call when we're done our first show."

"Where are you going, again?" I asked, wiping my eyes with my thumbs.

Billie sighed as he started to remember. "Berkeley, San Fransisco, San Jose, Fresno, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana, San Diego, Sacramento, and then back to Berkeley before we come back home," he answered. "In that order."

I sighed, kissing him again. "Well, you be careful. The baby and I'll be really lonely without you," I said.

Billie smiled. "Well, absence only makes the heart grow fonder," he said.

I smiled. "I hope that's true."

"Come on, Billie!" Mike called from the driver's seat. "We have to get going if you want some time to practice before the shows tonight!"

Billie sighed, kissing me one last time and giving me a big squeeze before letting me go. "I love you, Arizona," he said, releasing my hand and walking around the front of the truck.

"I love you, too, Billie Joe," I called up to him as he climbed in and stuck his head out the back seat window.

Zie, Mary Jane, and I all stood on Billie's driveway, tears silently streaming down all of our faces as we watched our boyfriends turn off the street, only God knowing what would happen to them after that.


	24. TWENTY-FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise phone calls.

I had Zie and Mary Jane sleep over about a week after Billie, Mike, and Tre left. We sat up until about three in the morning telling stories about our boyfriends. Mary Jane fell asleep first, leaving just Zie and I awake. "Zie?" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Are you awake?"

"Wide awake."

I sighed. "I'm worried about them."

"You have every reason to be. You're pregnant with Billie's kid," Zie reasoned.

I smiled slightly. "Have you and Tre ever thought about having kids?" I asked.

Zie shrugged. "I have, but I've never talked to Tre about it," she answered.

"Well, you should. Billie and I never talked about it, but it just happened," I said.

"That's my thing," Zie said, shifting to look at me. "I'm afraid if I talk about it with Tre, we're gonna try to plan and get pregnant, and then we're gonna make it not happen." I smiled, chuckling a little. "What?"

"Your superstition is cute," I said.

"Okay?" Zie said, audibly confused.

"Just talk to him, Zie. You'd be surprised what he says," I said.

Zie smiled. "Alright, then."

I smiled again. "Do you wanna play the truth game?" I asked.

Zie laughed, covering her mouth so as not to wake Mary Jane. "Sure," she said, nodding.

I grinned. "Alright then. Truth is, um...I really don't know," I said, laughing.

Zie laughed. "Truth is, I don't call Tre by that name when it's just us together."

"Yeah?" Zie nodded. "You call him Frank?"

"Frankie," Zie muttered, chuckling.

I laughed again, trying to be quiet. "That's cute. Truth is, I've never given a blow job."

"Now that I can believe," Zie said. I laughed. "Truth is, although we've never talked about having kids, Tre and I have talked about getting married after I graduate high school."

"Really?" I asked incredulously. Zie simply nodded, a smile on her face. "Zie, that's amazing!"

"I'm so excited. Anyway, it's your turn."

"Um, truth is...ugh, I don't know!" I hissed. "I don't know what to talk about!"

Zie laughed. "Talk about what happened the night you lost your virginity to Billie," she said.

I looked over at her. "That won't be awkward for you?" I asked.

Zie gave me a look. "Honey, I know you saw Tre and I fucking in the pool on your birthday. I heard you and Billie slide off the edge and splash in," she answered. "Not much else is awkward anymore."

I laughed. "Alright. Well, I stayed the night of my birthday at Billie's, much to my mother's chagrin. She actually wanted me home, by myself, just the three of us together for my birthday, and I was like no way, mom, I'm going to Billie's. So I did." Zie chuckled. "We were just talking for the longest time, Billie was playing his guitar, I played his guitar, it was fun. I even got a present from Ollie, which was amazing."

"That woman is amazing. I don't know how she manages to work two jobs and keep in contact with her four oldest children while finishing raising her remaining two children," Zie remarked.

"Yeah, Ollie is fucking remarkable. Anyway, I kept telling Billie how anxious I was to know his present, and he said he was waiting for Mike and Mary Jane to call from their concert in Berkeley, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to take the call."

"Did they ever call you?" Zie asked.

"Yeah, they did, at, like, eleven, I think. I don't remember. I didn't answer it anyway, but I think they knew that Billie was gonna fuck me that night because Mike said something about that's why I didn't answer the phone," I answered. Zie snorted, making me smile. "Back in the world of I-was-about-to-be-fucked-by-Billie Joe Armstrong, he started kissing me and I learned that his "present" was taking my virginity. He was like, 'Are you okay?' and I just said yes, because I was. I knew I wanted this. I had actually wanted it for a little while before that, but he didn't have to know that. There wasn't really anything that would have been really good for letting him know."

"Not to mention fucking you was probably the best present you ever gotten," Zie muttered, making us both laugh.

"ANYWAY, we kinda shed clothes pretty quickly. This is basically the rundown of sex with Billie Joe Armstrong," I said, wanting to shorten the whole story because I was tired.

"Okay, here we go," Zie said, curling her legs up into her chest.

"Ferocious kissing, his shirt came off, a little more kissing, my shirt came off, Billie went back to kissing me, I broke off and told him not to try because I didn't have a precedent, he apologized and kissed me conservatively, I told him he didn't have to do that, he thanked me and went back to his ferocious kissing, his pants came off, a couple more kisses, my shorts came off, I glimpsed Billie's 'excitement', he took off my bra, we returned to kissing ever fiercer than before, I tried sending a mental message to Billie that I was ready for it, I guess it sent because Billie then broke off and started slowly removing my panties, Billie put my hands on his hips, I removed his boxers and revealed his erection" -- Zie laughed -- "and then, I met Billie Joe Armstrong."

"Oh?" Zie asked, eager to know the ending.

"Yeah," I said, a wide smile on my face. "At first, he was really gentle, like he was afraid to hurt me or break me or something, but then, our hips locked together and we established a rhythm." I sighed, remembering. "Our hips were rocking back and forth in amazing synchrony, and I knew that an orgasm was coming, although I had never had one before. Billie and I just kept going and going and going, and then...," I trailed off.

"Then?" Zie asked eagerly, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Then, it happened," I said.

"An orgasm?" Zie clarified.

I nodded. "Yep."

Zie smiled really wide. "What was it like?" she asked.

"Uh, fucking brilliant! And even that doesn't even do it justice," I replied.

"Yeah? I kinda know what you mean," Zie said.

"What _do_ you mean?" I asked. Zie was about to answer when my phone vibrated against my hip. I picked it up, noticing it was Billie's youngest brother, David, calling me. "Hello?" I answered, confused.

"Arizona?" David asked, sounding frantic.

"Dave?" I asked, sitting up, getting nervous. "What's going on?"

David took a deep breath. "Our mom got a call about two hours ago from a hospital in Los Angeles that Billie Joe had been in a car accident," he said.

I clamped a hand to my mouth, tears instantly starting to fall down the sides of my face. "Is he alright?" I asked, removing my hand from my mouth.

"I don't know. I'm heading down to Los Angeles right now. I would've offered to pick you up, but I know that your mom is about to have a baby and everything, so I didn't want to, like, stress her out," David said.

"I understand. I'll wake up Mary Jane, and we'll be leaving in, like, five, okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. See you there," David said. I hung up, clamping both hands over my mouth and started rocking back and forth, tears freely flowing down my cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Zie asked, placing a hand on my back in concern.

"Mary Jane," I said, shaking her. She groaned. "Mary Jane!" I said, a little louder. "Mary Jane, wake up!"

"What?" she snapped. She saw my tear-streaked face and instantly, her face softened. "What's wrong?"

"Billie's brother David just called. He told me that Billie was in a car accident," I said. I heard Zie gasp behind me.

"Oh my God," Mary Jane breathed. "Then let's get the hell out of here." She sat up, kicking her feet underneath her to stand up. She held out her hand to me, pulling me into a tight embrace when I took it. Zie just added herself in and I cried, very hard.

I composed myself, wiping the tears from my face. "Let's go. It takes a while to drive to Los Angeles," i said, taking the girls' hands and walking up the basement stairs.

When up the stairs, the lights were on. I saw Aran rushing around the corner to the foyer. He stopped short when he saw me. "Arizona! Your mom's just gone into labor!" He noticed my red, tear-streaked face. "What's wrong?"

I sniffled. "Billie Joe was in a car accident. We're heading down to Los Angeles."

"Arizona, this is your mother! Your new sister is on the way!" Aran argued.

"This is my boyfriend we're talking about! He could be dying!" I snapped back. "Don't you think that my possibly-dying boyfriend is more important than my living mother?? If Billie Joe dies, and I'm not there for him, I would never forgive myself!" I exclaimed. Aran had no answer, as I heard a muffled scream from my mother in the foyer. "Now we're going to Los Angeles."

Zie, Mary Jane, and I stormed past Aran and my contracting mother, slamming the door behind us as we headed out to the car for a six-hour drive to someone whom I hoped _wasn't_ dying.


	25. TWENTY-FIVE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprises, surprises.

Zie, Mary Jane, and I burst through the hospital doors, running up to the reception counter. "Excuse me," I panted. "We're looking for Billie Joe Armstrong."

The receptionist tapped some keys on her keyboard and then looked up at her computer screen. "He came through trauma about eight hours ago. He's in the ICU now, room 154," she said.

"Thank you," I said before dashing down the hallway marked "ICU" in bright red letters. "154, 154," I kept muttering to myself as I scanned the hallways for the number.

"Ari!" Zie called. I turned around to see her pointing at the number 154 on a door a few feet back. I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life.

I stopped at the door, not wanting to burst in and make an entrance. Peering inside, I saw Mike, Tre, Ollie, David, Holly, and two other people, whom I assumed were Billie's other older siblings. Ollie, Holly, and the two other girls' faces were red from crying. I lightly knocked on the door and everyone looked over to see Zie, Mary Jane, and I all standing in the doorway. AWKWARD.

"Hi," I whispered as I walked in, waving and smiling slightly. I waved Zie and Mary Jane inside, telling them to close the door behind them.

"You seem to be quite popular, Billie," one of the older girls said.

"Izzie?"

I looked over to the bed. It was Billie who called out my name. When I saw him lying there, all wrapped up in bandages and covered in cuts and bruises, I clamped a hand to my mouth and started crying. I took my hand down from my mouth and slowly walked up to Billie's face, the people on the side parting like a side of the Red Sea. I knelt down, eye level with Billie. "Hi," I whispered, smiling slightly as fresh tears came.

"You're here," Billie said, smiling. I just nodded. "I kept asking when you would get here."

"It's true," Ollie supplemented, smiling slightly. "Every five minutes he kept asking, 'Where's Arizona? Where's Arizona?'"

I chuckled and looked back down at Billie, extending a hand to hold his. "What happened?"

Billie sighed, wincing in pain as he did so. "It was Mike, Tre, and I in the truck. I was driving. We were on our way to our next show in Long Beach the next afternoon. We were all tired because we had just played a show in Los Angeles, but we needed to get going to Long Beach that night if we wanted time to practice our set list before the show. We were on the highway out of Los Angeles and Mike and Tre had fallen asleep pretty quickly. I didn't realize it, but I had started to fall asleep at the wheel. I started drifting into the other lane, but the horns didn't wake me up. They woke Mike up, but he couldn't wake me up in time for me to be able to swerve out of the way. There was a car coming onto the highway that didn't see us, and then the car that I crashed into that hit both the front of the truck and the side. The truck's totaled. I wouldn't stop apologizing to both Tre and Mike when we came to a stop."

"He's right," Mike said. "He wouldn't shut up."

I chuckled. "So are you okay?" I asked Billie.

Billie nodded. "For the most part. It's nothing major. I just broke a few ribs and my arm."

"That's nothing major?" I asked incredulously. "You're crazy."

Billie laughed, wincing in pain again after. "Ow, fuck. I hate that it hurts to laugh. Hell, it hurts to fucking breathe..."

I squeezed the hand of his broken arm, taking care not to squeeze too hard. "I'm sorry. I wish I could've gotten here sooner, but Oakland is six hours away," I said, kissing his hand.

"I know, babe," Billie said, smiling at me. "But you know what the good thing is?"

"What?"

"I broke my left arm, so I can still hold my guitar," he said.

I laughed. "Well, we'll see about that," a doctor said, entering the room. "You seem to be quite popular, Mr. Armstrong."

Billie smiled. "The downside of having a big family. They let _everyone_ know when something happens."

The doctor smiled, flipping a page on his chart. "Well, it says here, Mr. Armstrong, that you have three broken ribs and your left arm is broken as well. There's not much we can do about the broken ribs, since they're inside, but we are going to put a cast on your arm."

"How long will that have to be there?" Billie asked.

The doctor flipped another page. "About six weeks." Billie groaned. "I know, I know, it's not the most fun thing, but it doesn't get much better. Since your ribs are around your lungs, which you use to breathe, your ribs probably won't completely heal for about two months."

"WHAT??" Billie yelled, wincing again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Armstrong," the doctor said. "That's just how it is." He turned to Mike. "Mr. Pritchard."

Mike sighed at the mention of his real last name. "Yeah?"

"You actually got out relatively unscathed. No broken bones or anything. The only thing we saw upon a physical examination is a couple of big bruises, one your chest and one on your right thigh. Those should heal pretty quickly, nothing like Mr. Armstrong here," the doctor said.

Mike sighed. "Well, that's good to hear," he said, smiling.

The doctor turned to Tre. "And Mr. Wright."

Tre looked even more peeved than Mike at the mention of his real name. "Yes?"

"You didn't really suffer any major injuries, except for that laceration across your right forearm. That's about half an inch deep, Mr. Wright, I wouldn't suggest picking up those drumsticks for about a week or two," the doctor said, eying Tre's bandaged arm.

Tre looked down at his bandaged arm with a disapproving look and a huge, dramatic sigh. "Alright," he muttered.

The doctor chuckled. "Don't worry. Two weeks will fly by quickly."

Tre looked up at the doctor. "Will I be able to be with my girlfriend?"

"If you're trying to ask me if you can still have sex with your girlfriend, then yes, Mr. Wright," the doctor said. Tre blushed, making everyone in the room laugh. "As for you, Mr. Pritchard, you are not really affected sexually." Mike whispered a 'yes' under his breath, reaching his hand out for Mary Jane, who came to sit on his lap.

"Give me my verdict, Doctor," Billie said, bracing himself for the worst.

"Well, Mr. Armstrong, your broken arm isn't the problem, it's your ribs. Now, I won't condone you having sex with your girlfriend, and I think that advising you against it is futile, so I'm just going to say I would stick to the lighter things."

"The lighter things?" Billie asked.

"Yes. I'm sure I don't have to name any for you, do I, Mr. Armstrong?" the doctor asked, giving Billie a reproachful look. Billie shook his head, smiling mischievously. "Very good."

"So when is Billie going to be allowed to go back home?" I asked the doctor.

"And who are you?" the doctor asked, turning to me.

"I'm his girlfriend," I answered.

The doctor noted my slightly pregnant belly with a look of disdain. "Mhm. Well, it will certainly be closer to a week. We need to give Mr. Armstrong time to get his cast and make sure it sets. Also, we're going to see if we can find something to help his ribs, too."

"Okay," I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

"I know you're disappointed, but we must keep Mr. Armstrong's health in mind," the doctor said. He flipped the pages on his chart back to the beginning and hung them on the edge of Billie's bed. "I'll be back in to check on you later on tonight."

He walked out the door, leaving everyone to look around at each other in anticipation. Billie squeezed my hand, making me look at him. "Arizona?" he asked.

I always hated when he used my full name. It always made me think something bad was going to happen. "Yes, Billie?" I asked back.

I saw his right hand shift around over something covered by his hand. He looked up at Mike, who was able to take the thing Billie was covering with his hand without letting me see it. He turned around, blocking the area around Billie's hand with his body. When he turned back around, Mike was grinning. I looked over at Tre, who was also grinning. I looked over at Zie, who was _also_ grinning. "Why the hell is everyone grinning?" I asked.

Billie took a deep breath, making a big effort not to wince from the pain. "Arizona Willows, I love you, so much," he said.

I smiled. "I love you, too, Billie Joe," I said, leaning over his bed-rail to kiss him.

He was grinning widely when I pulled away from him. He brought up to my face what was in his right hand. I gasped, my jaw dropping down and my hands clamping over my mouth. "Billie!" I whispered, hardly audibly.

"Arizona Willows, I love you. Will you marry me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another of my favorite chapters. :3


	26. TWENTY-SIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things are going on here.

I sat there in complete and utter shock, while everyone around me had looks of anticipation on their faces. _Oh my God_ , I thought. _Billie wants to get married?? I mean, I love him, but...but I don't know! Arizona, think through this logically: One, Billie is madly in love with you. Not only does he tell me at least once a day, everyone else always tells me so when he's not in the room. I can also see the looks of happiness for us on their faces when we are together. Two, you're madly in love with Billie. He doesn't know how much, but you tell him so anyway whenever he tells you how much he loves you. And, not to mention that fact that you two are having a baby together, so that should be good enough to say yes right there. You're right_ , I thought to myself. "Billie?" I said aloud.

"Izzie, babe?" he said back.

A huge smile bloomed on my face. "I love you so much." Billie grinned. I took a deep breath, my smile spreading even wider. "Yes."

"Yes?" Billie confirmed, his eyes widening in surprise. I nodded vigorously, my smile now a grin taking up the width of my face. "Oh, Arizona!" he breathed, grinning.

I leaned over the bed-rail to give Billie a huge hug, but being careful of his ribs. I came up from the hug, kissing him deeply. "Billie," I said, smiling.

"Congrats," Mike said, patting Billie on the shoulder and then giving me a hug.

"Yeah, congrats, you two," Tre said, shaking Billie's hand and giving me a hug, too.

Ollie, Marcy, Holly, Anna, Zie, and Mary Jane gave both Billie and I hugs after Mike and Tre; only Billie's brothers, Alan and David, shook Billie's hand and gave me hugs. Some were awkward because I didn't know some of Billie's siblings very well, but they were polite all the same.

I gave Billie another kiss, lighter this time, squatting by his bedside and holding his hand. "Here," Ollie said, sliding the armchair in the corner over to the Billie's left bedside. "You can have the chair," she said.

"Thanks, Ollie," I said warmly, smiling and getting up to give her a hug. Ollie looked over at her youngest son and smiled; Billie smiled back at her.

It was at that point that people started leaving. Alan left first, saying he had to get back to work in Long Beach. Next, Marcy left, saying that she had left her husband in a rush, not explaining to him that her youngest brother had just been in a car accident, and he was getting angry. Third, Holly and Anna left together, claiming they hadn't spent a five-hour car ride together in a long time, and Anna's residence was on the way back to her home, Holly kept saying. David left last, saying that he had to get back to work tomorrow, and that the six-hour drive alone was going to be grueling, and her was better off leaving sooner rather than later.

A few hours later, Zie and Tre left the room, claiming they wanted to walk together, but we knew they were off to go find an empty storage room or bathroom to have sex in. Billie told me that Tre had a strange thing for having sex in the weirdest places and in the weirdest positions. I didn't inquire further.

Soon after Tre and Zie left, Mike and Mary Jane decided to go in search of better food than the stuff they had at the hospital, so that left Ollie, Billie, and I. With a smile on her face, Ollie silently left the room. Once the door was closed, I smiled at Billie, spreading out my fingers and moving my hand back and forth to watch my new engagement ring sparkle in the bright lights of the hospital. "Billie, how did you do it?" I asked.

"Do what?" he confirmed.

I looked at him, turning the ring towards his face. "Get this," I answered.

Billie smiled, watching me watch my ring glinting in the fluorescent lights of the hospital. "I wasn't always a man-whore, you know," he said.

I laughed. "Alright. That still doesn't make it clear to me how you were able to afford this," I said, watching it sparkle again, smiling.

Billie's smile didn't fade. "I didn't buy it," he said.

I gasped. "This is your mom's?" I asked incredulously. Billie nodded. I started to take it off, but Billie put his hand over mine, stopping me.

"Arizona, babe, it's fine. I asked her before I took it," Billie said.

I smiled, sliding it back onto my finger and letting it settle there. "I love you mom, she's such a sweetheart."

Billie smiled, bringing me over the bed-rail to kiss him. He broke off, looking straight into my eyes, imploring me silently to...well. I'll just say disobey the doctor. I watched him, thinking it over. Yes, I want to, but I'm afraid of either Billie hurting himself, or me hurting Billie. I backed away slightly, tightening Billie's grip on me. Or, at tight as his grip could get with one arm.

Billie slowly raised his eyebrows simultaneously, making his face take on the look of a fifteen-year-old boy. My face didn't change, and Billie's eyebrows returned to their original positions. "Sorry, I just got engaged. I'm not sure how to react," he said.

I laughed. "I noticed. But you know," I said, kissing him. "We don't have to not do something."

Billie's eyebrows traveled back up, this time in question. "Oh really?" he asked.

I shook my head and kissed him again, deeply. Billie kissed me back, but then immediately broke off. "Well, what did you have in mind?"

I shook my head again, my lips pursed. "I'm not telling," I singsonged.

Billie sighed, and I laughed, kissing him again. About half an hour went by before Billie and I were making out hungrily, and I hopped off Billie for two seconds to cover the room door's window. I returned to Billie, leaving nipping kisses on his jawline and neck. "Fuck, Izzie...," Billie gasped, not making it obvious that his labored breathing was very painful.

I smiled, moving further down his neck, now at the base. Finding and starting to suck on his sweet spot, Billie's hips bucked slightly, trying to make his moans less audible, but failing. I came up, watching Billie watch me. His mouth moved up to my ear. "Go down, babe."

I grinned, kissing his nose and slinking down his chest. I was about to...begin, but I was interrupted. "Whoa, Billie! You could've told us that you wanted a little more time alone," Tre said, bursting through the room door.

I jumped off Billie, looking up at Tre and Zie behind him. Did I mention that I wasn't wearing a shirt? AWKWARD. "Tre!" Billie yelled, grasping at his bandaged chest with his right arm. "What the fuck?!"

Tre laughed, bringing Zie inside the hospital room, Zie closing the door behind her. "Did you two have fun on your 'walk'?" I asked, using air quotes around "walk".

Tre shot me a look, and I smiled back at him. "Shut up..."

Zie laughed, giving Tre a small peck on the cheek. "Don't worry, dear, we made sure we used protection," she said, turning to me.

I laughed. "Where did you find a condom in a hospital?" I asked. Zie looked at me. I sat and thought, then realized what I said. "Oh."

"Wow, Arizona...We pawned them off some creepy old lady next to the storage room we fucked in! Where do you think we got it from?" Zie exclaimed, laughing.

We all shared a laugh, ending with Billie swearing because of his ribs. "I wish I could do something to make your ribs heal," I said to Billie, kissing the hand I was holding.

"I don't think giving Billie a blow job would help that, Arizona," Tre remarked.

"The peanut gallery is closed for today, Tre! Shut the fuck up!" I yelled. Tre just laughed.

"So when are you guys getting married?" Zie asked, smiling.

I smiled, looking over at Billie. "Before the baby," I said.

"Eight months? Yeah, we'll definitely be married before then," Billie said, grinning and kissing my hand. I yawned. "Tired, babe?" Billie asked.

I nodded, my mouth closing again. "Zie and I didn't sleep before David called me early this morning. So yes," I answered.

"Well come here," Billie said, patting a spot right next to him in his bed, after scooting over a few inches.

I smiled, climbing over the bed-rail and snuggling up to my fiance, a huge grin on my face. I used his right shoulder as a pillow, taking in his scent, which I could still smell underneath the heavily-starched hospital gown. "I love you, Billie Joe Armstrong," I muttered into his shoulder, my eyes closing.

He shrugged me closer into him, hugging me with his one available arm. "I love you, too, Arizona."

I only slept for about an hour before Billie woke me up. "What?" I asked groggily. Then I heard my phone ringing, and pulled it out of my pocket. "Hello?"

"Arizona?"

"Aran?"

"Yeah. Your mom and I are at the hospital in Berkeley," Aran said.

"Berkeley?"

"Yeah, your mom had to have an emergency C-section, so they rushed her to the hospital in Berkeley."

"Is she alright?" I asked, sitting up. Billie put his hand on my back for comfort.

"She's great. So is your new sister," Aran answered. I could hear the smile in his voice, and I smiled, too.

"Awesome! Can I talk to her?" I asked.

"She's asleep, but I can send you a picture of her and the baby," Aran said.

I smiled. "Okay. What did you name her?"

"Alaska. Your mom wanted to stay with the whole state thing," Aran answered proudly.

"That's adorable. I'll see her, you, and Mom tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll tell your mom when she gets up."

"Okay, thanks, Aran. I'm gonna go back to sleep."

Aran chuckled. "Alright. Bye, Arizona."

"Bye, Aran," I said, and hung up.

"So you have a new sister?" Billie asked.

"Her name is Alaska. My mom wanted to stick with the state thing," I answered.

"What do you wanna name our baby?" Billie asked, snaking his right arm around to my stomach.

I smiled, looking down at his hand. "Andrew for a boy," I said.

Billie's eyes welled up, and he brought me down to kiss him. "Just another reason to love you."

"I would do anything for you," I said, kissing him back and snuggling back up to him.


	27. TWENTY-SEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is September 18, 2010.

I slinked up Billie's chest, laying down next to him, both of our chests rising and falling rapidly. "Oh, **fuck** , Izzie," Billie breathed, smiling.

I edged out a small laugh, licking my lips. "I hate Tre right now."

Billie laughed, rolling over and kissing me deeply. "Be glad that it wasn't Mike."

"Or Ollie!" I added.

"Oh, that would've been so fucking embarrassing!" Billie exclaimed, laughing. "Ow, fuck."

I sighed and started leaving a trail of kisses across his jaw, down his neck, and across his collarbone, making him moan with pleasure. I giggled underneath my kisses, returning to his lips. Billie was now kissing me hungrily, and I know what he wanted. I certainly wasn't going to refuse him, since I'm already pregnant, I was concerned about his ribs.

I broke off, breathing heavily. "What about your ribs?" I asked.

"Fuck it, I want you so bad right now," Billie said, lifting his head up to continue kissing me.

I broke off again, concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Arizona. I don't give a shit about my fucking ribs. I just want **you** ," Billie said firmly.

"Alright," I said, shrugging. Billie's kisses were as hungry as ever, and I certainly wasn't going to refuse him what he wanted. With him already half-naked from the previous, my clothes were just coming off piece by piece, me practically ripping off his shirt. I don't think I had ever wanted Billie as bad as I wanted him right now. Billie flipped us over, and I could sense the pain from his ribs in his touch; I narrowly avoided fingernails in my side.

 _Fuck me hard, Billie_ , I thought, unable to speak at the moment.

I think Billie will always be gentle upon first entry, as he was this time upon entering me. But once he was in, it seemed like he read my mind. I let out a loud moan as Billie ground his hips into mine, and I could feel the fucking bone against mine. "Billie!" I yelled, my eyes squeezed shut.

I could hear Billie's grunts as he continued, obviously having no trouble with only one arm to support himself. "BILLIE!" I screamed, my fingernails digging into Billie's back.

I arched my back, grinding our hips even closer together. " _BILLIE_!" I screamed again, louder, as we reached our climax. Billie rolled off, panting heavily along with me. Then the worst thing happened: my phone rang. Billie and I looked at each other. "Oh, shit...," we simultaneously muttered.

I looked over at my phone, eying the ID. "Shit!" I hissed. I looked over at Billie, picking up my phone. "It's my mom," I mouthed, holding the phone to my ear.

"Aw, fuck," Billie whispered, making me smile.

"Hello?" I answered, still breathing heavily.

"Arizona?" my mom asked suspiciously. "Why are you breathing so hard?"

"Oh, um...Billie and I were just running around the house," I lied hastily.

"What were you two doing running around the house?" my mom asked, still suspicious. I could tell she didn't believe me; my lie was falling apart very quickly.

"...Playing tag," I continued to lie. The pauses I was taking before I answered were not helping me convince my mother that I was not just having sex with my boyfriend - fiance. I smiled as I mentally corrected myself.

"Aren't you a little old for that, Arizona?" my mom asked, becoming less and less convinced. I could hear it in the tone of her voice.

"Mom, come on. It's tag. It's a classic game," I reasoned. Billie tried not to laugh next to me, and I slapped him on the shoulder to make him shut up, a smile on my face.

"Arizona, what have you really been doing?" my mom asked blatantly.

"I'm not lying, Mom! Billie and I were just playing tag!" I defended.

"Arizona, I know you're bullshitting me. What have you just been doing?"

"No, really, Mom!" I insisted.

My mom gasped. "Arizona! Were you..." My mom trailed off, and took a second before speaking again. "Were you just having sex?" she whispered.

"Mom!" I whined.

"Well? Were you?" my mom asked, a little firmer now.

"Mom, what--"

"You were! Arizona Willows!"

I sighed. "Yes, Mom, Billie and I were just having sex," I said, rolling my eyes. I looked over at Billie, who had a look of fake shock on his face, which I couldn't help smiling at. I took the phone away from my mouth and leaned over to kiss him. He continued to kiss me, but I broke off. "I'm on the phone with my mother, Billie!" I whispered.

"Arizona, I hope you used protection!" my mom warned.

"Yeah, about that..."

"What?" she asked, concerned.

I sighed again, squeezing the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index fingers. "I'm pregnant, Mom."

I imagined her blinking rapidly multiple times in shock. "You're pregnant?" she whispered.

I nodded. "Yes, Mom. It's Billie's."

"Oh my God! Arizona!" my mom squeaked.

"I know!" I squeaked back.

"I haven't noticed, so you can't be very far along," she said.

"No, only about three weeks," I said.

"Wow. And Billie Joe is okay with this?"

"Yeah! In fact, he's the one that got me so excited."

"That's great, Arizona."

I smiled at my mom's acceptance. "Did you call for a reason?" I asked.

"Well, yes. Aran and I have a dinner reservation tonight, and we need someone to babysit Alaska. Would you be willing to put on some clothes and babysit your sister?"

"Can I bring Billie with me?" I asked.

"Sure, dear."

"Thanks, Mom! We'll be there in ten, alright?" I said.

"Alright, dear, see you soon," my mom said, and hung up. I dropped my phone onto my pants and looked over at Billie.

"Come on, we're gonna go babysit my baby sister," I said, smiling and kissing him.

He tried to kiss me back, but I pulled away. "What?" he whined.

"Let's go! We can finish that at my house," I said, sitting up and stretching, grabbing my bra off the floor.

Billie sat up as well. "Alright, alright."

I laughed, throwing my shirt over my head and pulling up my jeans. "Come on."


	28. TWENTY-EIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is November 20, 2010.

"I hate going to sleep," I muttered.

Billie laughed, rolling over on his side to look at me. "You say that just about every night."

"But I'm not over here every night," I argued.

"Yeah, but when you aren't, you text that to me," Billie rebutted.

"Yes, but you usually send me messages of you playing songs, and I play them till I fall asleep," I said, smiling and rolling onto my side to close the gap between our faces and kiss him.

Billie smiled and kissed me back, a bit more passionately. I squeaked, pulling back but reconnecting right away. Billie chuckled, continuing to kiss me. Our tongues met in familiarity, Billie placing one of his hands in my strawberry blonde hair, the other down on my slightly protruding belly.

I was coming up on the three-month pregnancy benchmark, at which point I would pass out of the first trimester, and into the second trimester, the trimester I had read in which the most growth occurs because that's when the baby is, like, developing limbs and stuff. I was very excited to have this baby, yes, but, right now, I was just eager to figure out the sex of the baby.

Billie pressed into me, the hand he had on my belly moving to my back, keeping one in my hair. He broke off slightly, the tip of his nose joined with mine. We were both breathing a bit heavily from our make-out, but there were big smiles on our faces. "I love you, Izzie."

I smiled even wider, kissing him again. "I love you, too, Billie."

Billie inched back, the hand in my hair coming out, smoothing it down and gently running down my cheek, giving me chills. I shivered. Billie chuckled. "I still get chills when you do that," I muttered, smiling.

"Well I suppose that's a good thing," he said, smiling as well.

I giggled, and moved in to kiss him, but his phone rang from his jeans pocket. His jeans were on the floor behind me, so I rolled over and picked them up out of his pocket, checking the ID to see who it was. I cocked my head to the side slightly upon reading the name. "Who's Rachel?" I asked.

"Who?" Billie asked.

"Rachel. That's who your phone says is calling you," I repeated. I showed him the lit-up screen, listening the phone redirect the call to his voicemail.

"Oh, shit."

That was when I became concerned. I slid Billie's now-beeping phone toward him, but he didn't touch it. Instead, he dropped his head, holding it in his hand. "Who is she, Billie?" I asked, slowly but firmly.

Billie sighed, looking up at me with his yellow-green eyes glistening with moisture. Before he could stop it, a single tear fell down his cheek. He looked down at his sheets, his fingers moving aimlessly about them, then back up at me, another tear falling. "Izzie, babe...," he began quietly.

I continued to stare at him, almost stare him down, willing an answer out of him. "Billie, why won't you tell me who she is?"

"I wasn't completely honest with you that night in the hospital after the crash," Billie finally said.

I gasped. "What do you mean?" I asked, my eyes starting to tear.

"I told you that Mike, Tre, and I were all in Mike's truck, driving to Long Beach from Los Angeles for our next show, but that was a lie."

Tears started to fall. "Why did you lie to me, Billie?" I whispered.

Billie took in a deep breath before answering me. Oh, shit, this was big stuff. "Because I was with another girl."

I gasped, audibly this time, clamping my hand over my mouth and letting the tears flow freely. Billie tried to put a hand on my arm to comfort me, but I yanked my arm away, scrambling to my feet. "Don't even fucking touch me, you cheating bastard!" I yelled.

"Izzie, please calm down," Billie said, sitting up, tears falling from his eyes, too.

"No. You don't get the right to call me Izzie anymore." Billie's face fell. "And calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down?? You just told me that you were with another girl while you were on tour, you dirty son of a bitch!" I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "What else did you lie to me about?"

"The part about me driving was true. I was driving, but I had Rachel in the passenger seat, Mike and Tre sitting in the back. I was the only one with a girl. Both Mike and Tre threatened to send you pictures of me with her, but I told them I would leave the tour and go home if they did that, so they just kept quiet.

"Anyway, Rachel was a very seductive girl. She was practically leaned over the gear-shift the entire time, giving me kisses on my cheek and neck." I snorted, standing with my arms crossed over my belly about three feet away from Billie. "At some point, probably because I was tired and I couldn't think straight, I finally turned my head and started kissing her, and she was eagerly kissing back. Mike and Tre had fallen asleep a while back, so they only woke up just in time to try and help me swerve out of the way, which obviously didn't work," Billie finished. "I've felt so bad about it, Arizona, but I didn't know how to tell you."

"How about just saying it, you dirty fucking liar?!" I said, yelling the word 'liar.'

Billie's tears started freely flowing now. "Arizona, I didn't know what I was thinking! I don't know why I did it, but I did! I just did! And I'll regret it for the rest of my life! Why can't you just forgive me? At least I had the guts to _tell_ you!" he choked.

"It's gonna take a lot for me to forgive you for this. Just tell me one thing," I said.

"Anything," Billie said, wiping his face with his hand.

"How far did you go with her?"

Billie sighed, hanging his head, almost smiling when he looked up at me. "I did nothing more than kiss her since I was driving," he answered.

I sighed. "Well, I suppose that's the good news." Billie nodded, sniffling. I did the same, wiping the tears from my eyes and seeing streaks of mascara coming off on my hand. I wiped it off my my jeans, swearing. "But the bad news for you is that I'm leaving."

"Leaving me?" Billie asked, his eyes spilling fresh tears.

I shook my head. "Don't be stupid. I'm not leaving you permanently, I'm just leaving your house right now," I said, grabbing my bag of the floor and shouldering it.

Billie sighed, staying seated on his bed, not even attempting to try and make me stay because he knew it was useless. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," I said as I walked to his door. "If you're lucky." I opened his bedroom door, leaving and closing it behind me.

"Arizona, wait!" I heard him call. I turned around on the step of the staircase I had just landed on, seeing his tear-streaked face in his doorway. "I love you," he said.

I snorted. "Bullshit," I said, turning around and walking out his front door, ignoring his calls after me.

As I walked home in the cool autumn night, I checked the time on my phone. Ten-thirty. Perfect. My mom would probably be upstairs with Alaska, and I would get to avoid her and maybe Aran, too, if I was lucky. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I grabbed it, seeing that Billie had sent me a text message. I opened it, to be nice. 'I'm so sorry. please forgive me 3' I closed out of the text message, not even deeming it worthy of a reply.

The tears really started flowing when I walked up to my front door. On my way up to my room, I ran into Aran in the hallway, who seemed to be coming downstairs to get something. He noticed my red, eyeliner-smudged face, despite how much I tried to hide it from him.

"Arizona? What's wrong?" he asked, taking a step closer to me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off, glad that he didn't try and put it back. "Nothing," I mumbled, slowly walking to my room.

Aran didn't say anything as I closed my door behind me. I dropped my bag on my floor, pulled back my covers, climbed under them, shoved a pillow over my face, and cried myself to sleep.

_How could he do this to me???_


	29. TWENTY-NINE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's starting to get better.

A light knock on my door woke me up the next morning. I opened my eyes, seeing nothing but polka-dotted fabric. I took in a deep breath, picking my head up as another light knock on my door sounded, accompanied by a call. "Arizona?" It was a man's voice, one I knew was not Aran's. Intrigued, I got up from my bed and went to see who was at my door. I cracked it open, poking my head out just a few inches. "Hey. You're alive." It was Mike. "Can I come in?" he asked.

I smiled slightly and nodded, throwing open the door and going back to my bed. I sat down, grabbing the nearest pillow and hugging it to my chest. I brought my knees to my chest so I could rest my chin on them. Mike came in and closed the door behind him, sitting down on the edge of my bed, watching me. I could feel his eyes on me and looked up at him. "What?" I croaked. I heard the sound of my voice and cleared my throat in an attempt to make it sound more like my actual voice.

"Billie told me what happened."

I rolled my eyes and looked away. "Of course," I muttered.

My eyes snapped back up to Mike's face when he started to speak again. "I've never seen him so..." Mike trailed off, searching for the right word to complete his sentence.

"So what?" I asked, waiting for the word Mike would use.

It took another few seconds, but the realization on Mike's face told me he had found the perfect word. "So heartbroken," Mike said.

I snorted, fresh tears washing away the caked mascara and eyeliner that had run down my face from crying last night. I stared down at the pillow I was hugging to my chest, watching the tears fall and fan out on the fabric of my pillowcase. "How do you think I feel?" I whispered.

I heard my covers ruffle as Mike inched up closer to me on my bed, and I felt his hand on my shoulder a few seconds later. I don't what it was, but something about his touch just made more tears fall. I looked up at Mike, his face full of concern and the answer to a question I had been asking since last night. He quickly grabbed me into a tight hug, and I continued crying, just as hard as I had been the previous night. "I'm not going to tell you that I know how you feel, or that I understand, because I don't, and I like you too much to lie to you," Mike said, making me smile beneath my tears. "But both you and Billie are some of my best friends, and I hate to see both of you hurting like this." Mike released me from his hug, but he kept his hands on my shoulders, looking me right in the eye. "But I can tell you this: Billie loves you." I snorted and looked away; Mike shook my shoulders, making me look at him. "He does! As much as you might not believe him right now, he does!" Mike took a deep breath. "And you can't not talk to him forever. You're still going to see him if you continue to hang out with us, it's inevitable."

"I can just ignore him," I reasoned.

Mike took his hands off my shoulders, giving me a disappointed look. "And how long do you think _that's_ going to last?" he asked. I shrugged, continuing to cry. "Not very long, I can tell you that right now. So it's best for you two to just talk it out and stay together, alright?"

I looked up at Mike and gave him a slightly cold look. "It's not like I'm going to break up with him, Mike." I sighed, knowing that what I was going to say next was pretty much going to seal my defeat. "I still love him," I muttered.

A small smile graced Mike's face. "See? You still love him, he still loves you, why not just forgive him and forget this ever happened?"

I sighed again, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand, and wiping my mascara-tinted hand on the back of the pillow I had resumed holding after Mike released me from his hug. "I can't forgive him for this," I said, my face falling back into my pillow. "Not just yet."

Mike sighed, and I felt the bed sink slightly as he got off. "Well, you know you can always talk to me about it. Tre, too," he said. He squeezed my shoulder before I heard him walk out. I sighed, more tears falling. I saw my phone light up from my nightstand. I reached over and picked it up, seeing it was Billie calling me.

Much to my surprise, I answered it. "Hello?" I said, trying my best to not sound like I had just been crying.

"Arizona?" Billie whispered.

"Yeah, it's me."

"You answered." I could detect the slight smile in his voice.

"I don't know why I did that," I said honestly.

"Well I'm glad you did," Billie said quietly. I could hear in his voice that he had been crying recently, too.

"Can I hang up yet?" I asked, not wanting to talk to Billie anymore. Billie didn't say anything; he only sighed, obviously in disappointment. "I'll take that as a yes," I said, and hung up. I looked at my phone sitting in my hand. I almost smashed it against the wall next to me, but that would be counterproductive to solving this problem with Billie. And I also wouldn't be able to text or call anyone to talk about this problem with. So, instead of smashing it against the wall, I just held onto it, throwing it up in the air and catching it again.

Billie didn't deserve to be talked to. At least not right now. And I wasn't going to be the one talking to him.

~***~

**CURRENT STORY DATE: 01/02/11**

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed Zie for the millionth time. She picked up on the second ring. "What?" she answered hastily.

"Where are you??" I demanded, stomping my foot on the wooden floor of the foyer.

"On my way!" she squeaked. "I'm like five minutes away."

"Okay, but we're still gonna be late!" I whined.

"By, like, five minutes, Arizona! Relax!" Zie yelled.

"Ugh! Just get here!"

"I'm pulling in your driveway, come on!" Zie said, hanging up.

I shoved my phone in my pocket and shouted a goodbye to my mom and Aran, walking out the door. I saw Zie's sedan in my driveway, smiling at her at the wheel. "Hey!" I said, giving her a quick hug.

"Hey! Are you ready?" she asked, smiling.

I buckled my seat belt. "Of course. Let's go!" I said eagerly, smiling back at her.

She laughed, pulling out of my driveway. "So are you excited?" she asked.

"Very," I said, looking down at my protruding belly. I rubbed a hand over it gently, smiling.

"That's good," Zie said. Her smile faded, her face becoming much more solemn. "Can I ask you something?"

I sighed. "Is it about Billie?" She nodded. I smiled slightly. "Yeah."

"When was the last time you spoke to him?" Zie asked, glancing over at me.

I thought for a moment. "The morning after he told me that he was with another girl the night of the crash," I answered.

Zie whistled. "Wow, Ari. That's just about two months."

"I know, Zie. Believe me, I know. I've been counting the fucking days," I said.

"Do you miss him?" Zie asked quietly, turning onto the highway.

I took a deep breath, thinking over the question carefully. "Yeah."

"Are you going to forgive him soon?"

"Probably." That made Zie smile. "Why is everyone so eager to see me make up with Billie?" I asked.

"Because," Zie said. "No one's ever seen Billie _this_ happy with a girl, so to see you two fighting kinda hurts all of us." I smiled. There was a few moments of silence before Zie asked her next question. "Are you going to tell Billie the sex of the baby?"

I knew she was going to ask me that, and I had been asking myself that since I made the appointment last week. I had been going back and forth, but in the end, I decided that I would. Billie deserved to know, anyway. It was his baby. "Yeah."

"Good. I think he deserves to know." I watched Zie pull into a parking space and shut off the ignition. "Now come on. I'm such a good driver that we're only about two minutes late." I smiled at her, opening the passenger side door and using it as a support to stand up, one hand on my belly.

We walked as fast as we could to the doors, my name being called as we rushed in. The nurse standing in front of the waiting room looked over at us. "Are either one of you Arizona Willows?" she asked.

I raised my hand. "That's me."

The nurse smiled. "Well, follow me then."

I took a second to catch my breath, and then started walking, hurrying just a little to catch up to the nurse. As Zie and I walked in to the exam room, everything was very white and looked very sanitary. It kind of freaked me out a little, to be honest. "Yikes," Zie whispered to me, making me smile.

"Now, if you would just lay down here on this paper, and I'll set up the machine," the nurse said, patting an elevated bed covered with paper. It crinkled as I sat down, making Zie smile at me.

The nurse came back with a couple accouterments for the ultrasound machine, and hooked them up, tapping on my belly. That was the signal for me to life up my shirt to expose my pregnant belly. "So," the nurse began, opening the tube of gel. "How old are you, Arizona?"

"Eighteen," I answered proudly.

"Wow," the nurse said. "Did you plan on having a baby this young?"

"No, actually. It just kind of happened, and my boyfriend, at the time, was the one who pretty much convinced me to keep the baby after it was born," I explained.

"At the time?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah. He was my boyfriend at the time. After he and a couple of his...friends got in a car accident, he asked me to marry him," I said.

"Oh? And?" the nurse urged.

I showed her the ring on my finger. "I said yes."

"That's beautiful!" the nurse exclaimed.

"Thanks. It belonged to my fiance's mom," I said.

"She let him give it to you?"

"Yeah. I asked him that, too, and he said he asked his mom before he gave it to me. She's practically a second mother to me."

"Well, that's wonderful. But I have to ask, where is he now?" the nurse asked.

I sighed, looking away briefly but then looking back. "We're going through a bit of a rough patch," I said.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope everything turns out alright," the nurse said, squirting some of the gel onto my belly. "Sorry if this is a little cold."

"Thanks. And no, it's fine." The nurse smiled, turning on the machine. She placed the mouse (as I call it) on top of the little blob of gel and moved it around to spread it. Once she had done so, she started looking for my baby.

"There it is," the nurse said, pointing at the screen. I grinned. "That's an arm, and there's a leg, and, oh, there's the head," she said, freezing the frame. I continued to smile, looking up at Zie, who was smiling as well.

"That's amazing, Ari," she said, glancing at the screen. I chuckled.

"Would you like to know the sex?" the nurse asked, turning off the machine.

"Yes, please!" I said, smiling.

The nurse smiled as she wiped the gel off of my belly. "It's a girl." I didn't say anything; Zie and I were just both smiling, happy as clams. "Your baby is perfectly healthy. Do you have any questions?" the nurse asked.

I thought for a moment, then shook my head. "Nope, none I can think of."

"Alright then. If you have any questions, you can always call us."

"Thank you so much," I said, sitting up.

"You'll be hearing from someone here at the hospital within the next few days to make your next appointment," the nurse said, cleaning off the equipment.

"Thanks again." Zie and I walked out of the hospital with big smiles on our faces, both of us pulling out our phones. She dialed Mike, and I dialed Billie for the first time in two months.

He answered on the third ring. "Arizona?"

"Hi, Billie."

"Hi. Honestly, I was surprised you called."

I chuckled. "I thought you would be."

"So, what's up?" Billie asked, sounding happy for once.

"I just came out of the doctor's office."

"Why? What's wrong? Is it something with the baby?" Billie asked, instantly sounding concerned.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. In fact, everything's great. The baby's perfectly healthy."

I could almost sense Billie smiling. "That's awesome, Izzie. Oh, sorry," he said, catching himself.

I chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah?" Billie asked happily.

"Yeah."

"Okay, so are we..." Billie trailed off.

I sighed, smiling. "Yes. I forgive you, Billie."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that, Izzie."

"I figured out the sex of the baby today," I said. "It's gonna be a girl, Billie. We're going to have a daughter."

"That's amazing, babe! Can I see you when you get home?" Billie asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay. I'll see you when you get back. I love you, Izzie," Billie said.

I smiled. "I love you, too, Billie."

"Everything back to normal?" Zie asked, smiling knowingly.

I chuckled at her. "For the most part. Come on, I have my fiance waiting for me back at home." Zie grinned, helping me down to her car.


	30. THIRTY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Names.

I couldn't wait for Zie to pull into my driveway and shut off her car. I practically jumped out of the car the second Zie shut off the ignition. Billie was waiting for me on my porch, a big grin on his face. I quickly walked up to him, my imitation of a run, and gave him a huge hug. "I feel like there's something between us," Billie joked.

I looked up at him and laughed. "I've missed you so much, Billie."

"So why did you stay away from me for so long?" he asked.

I cocked my head, thinking. "Because I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me," I answered.

Billie sighed into my hair. "I understand. I'm just glad that you've finally forgiven me," Billie said, resting his head on mine as I hugged him again.

I looked up at Billie solemnly. "Just don't get your hopes up too much," I said.

Billie chuckled, smiling, and releasing me from the hug. "Let's go inside, I have something I wanna show you," he said, kissing the top of my head and taking my hand. He looked at Zie still in my driveway. "Thanks for taking her, Zie."

"No problem, Billie. We're all just glad that you two are back together," she said, hopping back into her car. Billie just smiled and waved as she drove away; I made a heart with my hands. Zie saw my heart and smiled, making one back at me before she pulled away.

Billie chuckled and squeezed my hand. "Come on," he said, pulling me inside.

When we entered my foyer, there was a big vase of pink roses on the table. I gasped, releasing Billie's hand and putting it against my mouth. "Billie!" I gasped, walking over to the vase. I gently ran one of my fingers over one of the bulbs. "These are amazing! How did you know pink is my favorite color of rose?"

"It was easy. Red and white are too cliché, and pink is the perfect combination of originality and...cliché-ness," Billie answered.

I laughed, walking over and kissing him lightly. "Cliché-ness?"

"Yes. It's the brand new word sweeping the nation," Billie said, smiling. I laughed again, settling my head into Billie's chest. "Wanna sit down?" he asked.

I looked up at him and nodded. Billie took my hand and led me to the couch, sitting down and stretching his legs out, bringing me down on top of him. I snuggled into him, smiling. "How did you meet her?" I asked Billie after a few minutes of silence.

Billie sighed, but I knew the smile was still on his face. "At one of our shows. She was in the front of the mosh pit, and I called her up on stage at random. I didn't see her again until after the show, and she was all over me. I was still on such an adrenaline rush that I just wasn't thinking," he explained.

"The last part wasn't necessary, Billie, but thanks."

Billie wrapped his arms around me, right over my belly. "Were you serious when you said that you would name the baby Andrew if it was a boy?" he asked.

I chuckled. "Yes, Billie, I was completely serious. But the baby isn't a boy."

"I know, you told me. So have you thought of names otherwise?"

I shrugged. "Not really. Why, do you have any in mind?" I asked.

"I was thinking it over right after you told me we were having a daughter, and I couldn't think of any right away, but I did come up with a good couple after a good few minutes of thinking," Billie answered. "I thought it would be nice if we gave her a name that started with a C."

I thought for a second about what Billie said, putting it together in my mind. "A, B, C! Billie, that's adorable!" I squeaked, taking one of his hands and kissing it.

Billie laughed. "I thought you'd like it."

I giggled. "Did you have any actual names in mind?" I asked.

I felt Billie shrug. "I like Camille. It means 'perfect', from French."

"The name is pretty, but I don't like it because of what it means. It sounds pretentious, or like we're setting really high standards," I said.

"Yeah, you're right. How about Caralynn? 'Dear and beautiful'."

"That's pretty. I like it. I'm putting that into consideration," I said, grabbing a random pad of paper and a pen from the coffee table next to the couch. "How do you spell that?"

Billie laughed. "C-A-R-A-L-Y-N-N."

"Oh, that's gorgeous. I like it even more already," I said, scribbling it down. We were both silent for a second, thinking. "What about Carleigh?"

"With a Y?" Billie confirmed.

I shook my head. "No, with an I-G-H."

Billie didn't answer for a moment. "So how would you spell it?" he asked, sounding confused.

"C-A-R-L-E-I-G-H. It's the girl version of Charles."

"It sounds a little fancy, but it's certainly not terrible," Billie said.

"So do you wanna put it into consideration?" I asked. "I think we should."

"Yeah, we can." Billie smiled at me, watching me scribble it down. "Celeste?"

"Oooh, that's very pretty," I said, scribbling it down. We both thought for a few minutes. "Charlotte?" I asked.

"It's simple, but not too simple. I really like it." Billie pointed to the pad in my lap. "Write that one down."

I smiled, scribbling it down on the paper. "I liked that one, too."

"Caralynn, Carleigh, and Charlotte. Any other names we can add to this list?" Billie asked.

"Hmm..." I brought the pen to my lips, clacking my teeth on the cap. "Oh! Constance!"

"That's pretty, but it sounds like we're dooming the baby to a life of normalcy," Billie said.

I giggled. "Yeah, okay."

"If you like the name, you can write it down," Billie assured me.

"No, no, what you said made sense," I reasoned. "And she's gonna have a life so far from normalcy, especially with a rock star for a father."

Billie laughed and kissed me on the cheek. "So true. Dude!"

"What?" I asked.

"You just said that the baby is going to have a rock star father," Billie repeated.

"Yeah...so?"

"So her name should be Cadence!" Billie exclaimed.

I dropped the pad and pen onto the floor, rolling over to look Billie in the eyes. "Billie, that's absolute genius!" I squeaked, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Billie smiled, kissing me back. "I thought you'd like it."

I sighed, looking at Billie. "That's what we have to name the baby. Seriously," I insisted. I rolled back over, his hands resting on my belly.

"I love you, Arizona," Billie whispered into my ear.

I smiled slightly, snuggling back into his chest. "I love you, too, Billie Joe." Billie kissed me on the cheek and picked up the TV remote.


	31. THIRTY-ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is February 14, 2011.

I woke up to the sound of soft guitar playing. I opened my eyes to bright lights, but squinted to see, wanting to know where that guitar was playing. I looked up, seeing Billie sitting on a short-legged stool with Blue in his lap, strumming softly. "My beating heart belongs to you, I walked for miles till I found you. I'm here to honor you, if I lose everything in the fire, I'm sending all my love to you."

I smiled, slowly sitting up and eventually rising from Billie's bed to walk over and keep my hands on his shoulders as he finished playing. Billie lifted Blue from his neck and walked over to the bed to set it down before walking back over to me and he embraced me and gave me a kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day," he murmured, smiling.

I smiled and kissed him back lightly. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Billie."

Billie's hands moved from my face to my waist, his face separating from mine. "I think we should spend all day in bed. I'll play you songs off my guitar, and I'll take you out for every meal," he suggested.

I laughed. "Billie, in case you've forgotten, it's Monday, and I'm still in school," I said.

"But it's Valentine's Day!" he whined.

"Well, take that up with Cue-Ball. I don't mind you following me around school all day, but I bet he will," I told him, detaching myself from him and walking to the bathroom.

When I returned to Billie's bedroom, Billie had laid out my clothes from my day bag onto his bed: my favorite pair of pregnancy jeans (they have an elastic strip in the waistband), a white tank top, and a pink blouse. "For Valentine's Day?" he asked.

I smiled, letting a chuckle escape from my lips. "Well, there is a thing going around school that if you wore pink on Valentine's Day, everyone would know that you have someone," I explained.

"And what if you don't have someone?" Billie asked.

"You wear red."

"Is the school trying to set up some sort of weird blind date service out of the people who wear red?" Billie asked distastefully.

I giggled. "Yes. But even the teachers are wearing red," I added.

Billie raised an eyebrow as I folded my pajama pants and put on my pregnancy jeans. "Are they, like, encouraging relationships between students and teachers or something?"

I burst out laughing. "No, Billie! There's gonna be a separate pool for single teachers."

"Well what if there are three single teachers?" Billie asked, watching me pull my tank top over my head.

"Umm...I don't know. Stop asking so many questions!" I whined.

Billie chuckled, walking over and planting a kiss on the top of my head. He waited until I had shrugged my blouse over my shoulders and buttoned it before wrapping his arms around my waist and swaying me side to side. "You're too cute," he murmured.

I smiled slightly, unwrapping his hands from my belly and placing his arms by his side. I turned around to his confused and slightly hurt face. "Billie," I addressed him, sighing. "Did you think I would just come back to you and everything would be alright?" I asked.

"Well, yeah," Billie answered.

I sighed again and hung my head, looking back up at Billie within a few seconds. "Billie, it's not gonna be like that. You cheated on me. I'm _very_ reluctant to let you back in," I admitted.

Billie's face fell. He didn't speak for a few minutes as I applied my makeup while waiting for my straightener to heat up. "I understand, I guess. I just kinda thought you'd be a little more forgiving."

I turned around to face Billie, eyeliner pencil in hand. "I have forgiven you, Billie." I turned back to the mirror, penciling my other eye.

"I know you have, and that made me so happy, but I'm kinda disappointed that you're so...reluctant, as you said."

I sighed, dropping my eyeliner back in my makeup bag. "I'm sorry, Billie, but you need to accept the fact that you were with another girl while your new pregnant fiance is worrying her ass off about you," I said.

Billie sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I understand where you're coming from."

I picked up my straightener with a smile. "I'm glad you understand. Will you be driving me to school this morning?" I asked.

"Of course," Billie answered, smiling. He picked up my folded pajamas and placed them in my day bag. "Do you mind if I drop off your bag at your house on the way there?"

I smiled at Billie in the mirror. "That would be amazing," I said. I set down my straightener for a moment as I walked over to Billie and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "And kiss-worthy," I added. Billie just chuckled as I walked back to my straightener.

~***~

When Billie picked me up from school that afternoon, he turned out the opposite way and I turned around, looking back at the way back to my house. "Billie, we're going the wrong way."

Billie smiled, glancing over at me as we came to a stoplight. "I knew you'd say that."

I stared at Billie's profile, confused. "So where the hell are we going?" I asked.

Billie smiled again, this time not looking over at me. "You'll see."

"Ugh! I hate surprises," I groaned, leaning back in my seat. I stared up at the sky, cloudy and dull. "You think it's gonna snow tonight?"

"No, probably not. We might just get slush or something," Billie answered, pulling into a large parking lot.

I looked around at where Billie had parked his car. "Billie, where are we?"

Billie smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "A restaurant," he answered.

"Oh, Billie!" I whispered, flinging my arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek repeatedly. Billie laughed and turned his head, kissing me on the lips. "Is all of this for me?"

"And Cadence," Billie said.

I grinned and kissed him again. "And Cadence," I repeated.

~***~

"Billie, that dinner was amazing," I said, lowering back into Billie's car.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Billie got into the driver's side and leaned over the stick shift to kiss me.

"I love you, Billie Joe Armstrong."

Billie grinned. "I love you, too, Arizona Willows."

"I'm excited for the wedding," I said, grinning.

"Me too," Billie said, smiling at me and turning the keys in the ignition.

"When is Cadence due again?" Billie asked, backing out of the parking lot.

"April," I answered.

"Is it gonna be hard to find a wedding dress that fits a seven-month-pregnant woman?"

I giggled. "No, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine," I said. Billie just chuckled, reaching a hand over at the next stoplight and rubbing it across my belly.

"Cadence is gonna be beautiful. Just like you," he said, smiling at me.

I leaned over and gave Billie a quick kiss before he stepped on the gas pedal, the wheels turning us closer together.


	32. THIRTY-TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February: Billie Joe's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is February 17, 2011.  
> This chapter is dedicated to Billie Joe Armstrong for his birthday.

The first light of day began to poke through the slits in Billie’s blinds. He was facing me, sleeping, and I was lightly tracing the outlines of the tattoos on his naked chest. Billie stretched his arms above him, and I withdrew my hand, watching his eyes as he awoke.

The gorgeous yellow-green eyes I loved so much finally opened, looking straight into my bright blue ones. “Good morning.” I received a passionate kiss on the lips. God, I loved the way Billie’s lips felt on mine.

“Good morning, indeed,” I replied, grinning. I rolled over onto my other side, letting Billie cuddle me up to him. “Happy birthday, Billie Joe.”

Billie hugged me close to him, keeping me there. “Thanks, babe. Y’know, I’m older than you now.”

I chuckled. “You always have been older than me.”

I felt Billie’s chest rise and fall rapidly with his soft laughter. “I know, I just wanted to rub it in your face,” he said.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, still smiling. “I’ll take it as a compliment then.”

Billie chuckled. “Please do.”

After silently squeezing me to him one last time, Billie released me from his grasp, but not before he kissed me once, quickly, on the lips. As I rose from his bed, searching for my bra and top from the previous night, the door burst open, and I could see balloons in my peripherals.

Pulling my bra up off the floor out from under Billie’s shirt, I stood up and saw Tre was the one holding the balloons. Once he came in, and made a slew of lewd comments about my lack of top, Mike followed him in, bearing a large plate of breakfast items. “Happy birthday, Billie!” Tre yelled, obnoxiously blowing on a kazoo.

Billie laughed upon receiving a bear hug from Tre. That is, after Tre set down the balloons he was holding. I picked up a random t-shirt from Billie’s bedroom floor and threw it over my head. Mike set down the large plate of breakfast items on the bed next to Billie and also gave him a hug. “Happy birthday, man,” he said.

I smiled, walking over to Billie and kissing him on the cheek. “If you don’t finish that, I’ll help,” I said to him.

Billie laughed and turned to kiss me lightly on the lips. “I’ll let you have as much as you want.” He turned to Mike and Tre. “Same goes for you guys.”

“Awesome!” Tre said, grabbing a fork from the tray Mike brought in and poised it over the pile of syrup-drenched pancakes. “You guys better hurry up and grab some forks before it’s all gone.”

I laughed and sat on the bed in front of the tray, grabbing a fork and crossing my legs underneath me. “You have some competition, Tre,” I said, holding the fork in my lap.

“Hey, save some for Billie!” Mike yelled, squeezing his body in between Tre and I and wrapping his fingers around a fork.

Billie laughed and climbed around me on his bed to sit down next to me, his left leg curled under his right. Grabbing the last fork, he stabbed the giant pile of syrupy pancakes and drove the fork down until he heard it touch the ceramic plate. Tearing off that section of pancake, he brought it up to his mouth. Just before he cleared the fork of its contents, he looked around at Mike, Tre, and I. “Let’s eat, gentlemen,” he said, putting the fork in his mouth. After he chewed some of the pancake, he turned to me. “And lady,” he added.

I smiled, driving my own fork into the pile of pancakes and tearing off a considerable chunk. Tre saw my big forkful of pancake and raised an eyebrow before devouring his own forkful. “You’re gonna shove that whole thing in your face?” he asked incredulously.

Mike heard our conversation and glanced over, smiling with his own mouthful of pancake. “She’s a pregnant girl, Tre, I’m sure she can do it.”

I smiled over at Mike, my pancake slowly dripping thick syrup. “I’m about to prove you right, Mike,” I said, focusing back on my forkful of pancake. I opened my mouth as wide as I could make it, clamping my lips around the fork. Dragging the fat chunk of fluffy pancake off the fork with my teeth, I pulled the fork out of my mouth and started chewing with ease.

Tre laughed as I smiled at him, chewing, swallowing pieces at a time until my mouth was again empty. “Yikes, Tre, you just got owned by a girl,” Billie said, making us look over at him. “My own girlfriend!”

Tre just smiled, forking the pancakes again. “Whatever. She’s Arizona, she’s allowed.”

I laughed, leaning over and lightly punching Tre in the arm. “So you boys got any fun plans today for Billie’s birthday?” I asked.

Billie perked up, looking at Tre with raised eyebrows. “Yeah, Tre! Do you and Mike have anything fun planned for today?” he asked.

Tre smiled knowingly. “What a stupid question, Billie.” Billie cocked his head, making me giggle. Tre chuckled, tearing a piece of buttered toast in half. “Of course, you idiot!” Billie smiled, and I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, surprising him.

Billie turned to face me, a cute, boyish smile on his face. Swallowing what was left in his mouth, he closed the small gap between our faces to kiss me sweetly. “What about you?” he murmured. “Do you have anything special planned for me today?”

I smiled, kissing him back. “Nothing special in the way of actions, but I know you’re gonna like your present,” I replied.

Billie raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Can I take a guess as to what it is?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, sure, but you’re never gonna guess what it actually is,” I told him.

Billie smiled, looking off into space, thinking. As I forked another piece of quickly dwindling pancake, he turned back to me, an answer in his mind. “Does it have to do with sex?” he asked, a smile blooming on his face.

I quickly brought my hand up to my mouth to prevent me from spewing half-masticated pancake all over Billie from laughing. When I was no longer at risk of spewing anyone with anything, I looked up at Billie, a big grin still on my face. “It does,” I said.

Billie smiled triumphantly. “Well, I’ll figure out tonight, I suppose,” he said, smirking and kissing me again, this time longer and a bit more passionately.

I kissed him back, Billie’s tongue flicking lightly against mine. I smiled in my mind’s eye, not caring we were in full view of Mike and Tre. What I guessed was about ten minutes later, Mike cleared his throat, making Billie break off and sigh; I licked my lips and kissed him once, quickly. “You know, we can leave if you like,” Mike said, making Billie smile.

He looked over at Mike with his smile. “We’re done with breakfast anyway. So there’s a perfect reason to leave us the hell alone for a little bit,” he said.

Mike chuckled, piling the forks onto the empty plate. “Come on, Tre,” he said, standing up and stretching.

Tre looked offended. “What?! But it was just getting good!” he protested.

I laughed and Billie threw a pillow at him. “Get out of here, you fucking creeper.”

Tre just laughed, standing up with Mike. “Alright, alright, calm down, Billie. At least you don’t have to worry about Arizona getting pregnant,” he remarked.

I glared after Tre as he and Mike started out the door. “Just be glad it isn’t Zie,” I said. “Or you!” I called as he and Mike left the room, bumping the door shut behind them.

Billie sighed, chuckling and looking me straight in the eyes. I looked him straight back in his gorgeous yellow-greens. We just sat there on his bed, looking into each other’s eyes. After about a minute, I sighed, smiling. Billie smiled and slowly leaned in to kiss me lightly on the lips, reminiscent of a first kiss.

The intensity of the kisses escalated quite slowly, considering this is my fiancé we’re talking about here. What I guessed was five minutes later, Billie wrapped both his arms around my waist, bringing me closer to him. I giggled but didn’t break the kiss. In fact, if anything, the kissing only intensified considerably. "I wish it wasn't morning," Billie whispered, breaking off.

I smiled, kissing him again. "It doesn't have to be nighttime, Billie," I whispered back.

Billie grinned and went back to kissing me, much more passionately than before. _The blinds are open_ , I thought. _Now anyone who wants to can see into this bedroom. Oh well..._


	33. THIRTY-THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a very special day for our main characters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is March 5, 2011.

Last night was one of the rare nights I didn't spend at Billie's house. In fact, even though much to my chagrin, I hadn't been spending the night at Billie's for a couple days. It was his idea for us not to spend a couple nights together right before our wedding, and even though I was going to hate not having Billie's muscular arms wrap around me every night right before I fell asleep, and I wasn't going to have him whispering lyrics in my ear till I fell asleep, I knew that it was a good idea. So I haven't spent the night at Billie's house since Tuesday, and I've been waiting for today more anxiously than ever since then.

I woke up to the sound of my phone jolting me awake with the loud, obnoxious lyrics of Lights Out, a song that was completely unknown to Green Day fans everywhere. Except for me, of course.

I smiled as I leaned over and slowly sat up to pick up my phone. No surprise, Billie was calling me. "Good morning, Billie."

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you?" Billie cooed from the other end.

"I'm excited!" I took a look at my clock, and then grinned, noticing that Billie knew I was going to oversleep so he had called to wake me up. "Even more so now that I know you called to wake me up," I said happily.

I heard Billie chuckle on the other end. "I knew you'd love that I did that. Now get going! I'll see you a couple hours."

I smiled. "Finally. I love you, Billie."

I knew Billie was smiling on the other end. "I love you, too, Arizona. I'll see you soon."

"Yep. Bye."

"Bye, sweetheart." I heard a click, and I hung up as well.

It was just a few moments later that my mother came through the door, Alaska in her arms. "Hey, honey!" she said, grinning and bouncing Alaska. "Ready for your big day?"

I grinned, picking myself up out of bed and stretching. "I've been waiting for this day for such a long time," I answered.

My mom smiled at me. "We have to get you ready, sweetheart!" she squeaked. I then saw Zie appear behind my mom, and waved at her. Confused, my mom turned around and saw Zie behind her. "Oh, hi, Ziera," she said. "Come to help Arizona get ready for her big day?"

"Of course, Mrs. Hettinger!" Zie squeaked. She poked her head in next to my mom, a big grin on her face. "Are _you_ ready, Ari?" she asked.

"I've been waiting for this day for such a long time," I answered. I giggled, seeing as I had just said that to my mom. "Whoa. Déja vu."

Zie chuckled. "Come on, get out of bed! We need to get you ready! In a few short hours, you're going to be Mrs. Billie Joe Armstrong," she said, stepping in to take my hand.

My mother looked me up and down as Zie led me out my bedroom door. "How about we start with a shower?" she asked.

"That's where I was headed, Mrs. Hettinger," Zie said, smiling and dragging me to my bathroom by my arm.

<3<3<3

I stole my millionth glance at myself in the body mirror right in front of me. I took a deep breath and smiled, running my hands down my sides, smoothing out the fabric. I saw someone poke their head through the small door on the other side of the room, but I couldn't see who it was; it was a man, and his back was turned to me in closing the door behind him. I turned around to face the strange man, and a moment later, when he turned to face me, I gasped, clamping both hands to my mouth. "Dad?" I breathed.

"Hi, Arizona," my father greeted.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked.

"Aran told me his stepdaughter was getting married."

"Aran? You know Aran?" I asked, confused again.

"We were roommates back in college. Yep, we've kept in contact since then, and when he told me he was seeing my ex-wife, well..." My father trailed off, a small smile on his face. "I had to know more."

"So how does that land you here?" I asked.

"Well, when Aran told me that he and NatalieAnn were getting married, I knew that he was gaining you as a stepdaughter. So when he told me back in September that his future stepdaughter was getting married to her boyfriend, I knew I had to be there," he explained, smiling.

I grinned, outstretching my arms. "Then what the hell are you doing standing over there?"

My dad laughed and walked up to me, wrapping me in the biggest embrace I had been in since I first started dating Billie. "You grew up into such a gorgeous young woman, Arizona," my dad murmured. I smiled, squeezing my dad. When we finally pulled apart, his eyes immediately landed on my very pregnant belly. "So who is this guy? He must be pretty special if you're getting married and having his child."

I smiled. "His name is Billie Joe. Billie Joe Armstrong," I answered.

"That's quite a mouthful," my dad remarked.

I laughed, a hand on my belly. "I said that exact thing to him when I first met him."

"How old is he?"

"Nineteen. His birthday was just on the seventeenth of February."

"Very good. So he's out of high school?" my dad asked. I nodded. "Does he have a job?"

I giggled. "Not really. He's the lead singer and guitarist for his band."

"His band?" my dad confirmed.

"Yep. He's in it with two of his best friends, which I also happen to be pretty good friends with as well."

My dad smiled. "Well, I'm sure to meet this guy today." I giggled.

Zie stuck her head in the door. "It's almost time! You look gorgeous, Ari."

"Thanks, Zie!" I squeaked. I saw my father smirk out of the corner of my eye.

"Miss, get up on that stage!" I heard an usher hiss. Zie murmured something and I saw her trot up the aisle through the crack in the door.

My father and I smiled at each other as he took my arm and the music started to play. "Ready, Arizona?" he whispered. I just nodded as my father and I took our first steps out of the back room of Billie's house and out into his backyard.

I focused on Billie the whole way up the aisle, the painfully slow walk only heightening my excitement. He grinned at me as he saw my father walk me up the aisle created by the chairs lined up in neat rows on either side of the small stage to which I was headed. I grinned straight back at Billie, handing off my bouquet to my best friend since freshman year of high school, Ammerii Ketnia. I smiled at her and she smiled back, taking my bouquet with her own. When I turned to face Billie, he took my hands in his and squeezed them, then pulling me in for a tight hug. "You look absolutely gorgeous, babe," he whispered.

"Thanks. You look pretty snazzy yourself." Billie just squeezed my right hand once before releasing it and turning to the priest standing in front of us.

I never realized how much standing is involved in wedding ceremonies. Holy crap, I never thought I would get off my feet. I don't think that being seven months pregnant helped that much, either. But I will never forget the moment that Billie slid that wedding band onto my finger, while repeating, piece by piece, what the the priest told him. I had the biggest grin on my face the entire time, looking up at Billie once he had finished reciting his piece.

Then it was my turn. I took Billie's wedding band and slid it on his finger, repeating the same words the priest told me that he had told to Billie. I loved the way each and every word rolled off my tongue and out into the open air for everyone sitting around to hear. _How about this for a public display of affection, Billie?_ I thought. I giggled and Billie discreetly raised an eyebrow at me. I shook my head imperceptibly, letting him know now was not the time to tell him what I was giggling about. He just smiled and squeezed the hand he had taken after we had placed the wedding bands on each others' fingers.

I squeezed Billie's hand right back as the priest shifted the Bible he was holding in his hands. The ceremony nearing its end, I knew both Billie and I were anticipating the phrase that would seal me as Billie's wife and him as my husband for life. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest turned to Billie, smiling, and I knew that he knew both Billie and I had been waiting for this moment the whole day. "You may kiss the bride." Billie grinned, turning to me, taking both my hands in his. I grinned right back at him and he moved in to kiss me, slowly but lightly.

"I love you," he whispered when we broke apart.

I smiled. "I love you, too," I whispered back. Ammerii handed me back my bouquet and applause erupted as Billie walked me back down the aisle and we walked into Billie's house, hand-in-hand. When Billie had closed the door behind him, he grinned and squeezed me tighter than he had ever squeezed me before. I squeaked and burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. "Billie!"

"Arizona, this is amazing!" Billie exclaimed. He took my face in his hands, looking straight into my bright blue eyes. I looked straight back into his yellow-green ones, his happiness and excitement making them brighter than I had ever seen them. "I have never been happier than I have been right now, and only you could make me feel this way. I love you so very much," he said, kissing me.

Billie started to break off, but I grabbed his slightly scruffy face and brought it back to mine, continuing to kiss him. I felt Billie chuckle underneath my hands, but break off almost immediately. "Billie...," I whined.

He chuckled. "Save it for tonight, alright?" he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine and running his fingers over the end of the closest curl. I smiled and kissed him again, once, lightly. "You can finally be one of my firsts."

"Really?" I asked. " _I_ can be one of _your_ firsts?" Billie nodded, smiling. "What first would this be?" I asked, eager.

He kissed my nose, leaning his nose against mine afterward. "My first time having sex with a pregnant woman."

I laughed, lightly running my fingers through the shaggy black hair that reached down just past the base of Billie's neck. "I know I'm not the first girl you've gotten pregnant, Billie Joe."

He pulled his face away from mine, giving me a reproachful look. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"I just know."

"So you're assuming."

"Call it what you will."

"Well, you shouldn't assume, babe."

"No?"

"No. You're the first girl I've gotten pregnant, too. So you really get two firsts," Billie said chuckling.

I laughed, pressing my forehead back to his again; Billie kissed me lightly on the lips.

Ollie then poked her head in the door. "We're letting the guests in now, you two," she said.

Billie and I just stood together, facing the door as the guests started trickling in. Congratulations were ample as people milled in and headed for the bottles of champagne and small food platters lined up along the counters. Tre, Zie, Mike, and Mary Jane then approached us, the couple hand-in-hand as they found their way through the growing crowds.

"Congratulations, you two!" Zie squeaked, releasing Tre's hand to give both Billie and I hugs.

"Thanks, Zie!" I squeaked back. "Oof...," I mumbled, placing a hand on my belly.

"You alright, babe?" Billie asked, concerned.

I looked up at him, smiled, and placed his hand on my belly. I watched the grin bloom on his face as he felt our baby daughter kicking. "Isn't that amazing, Billie?"

He nodded. "I still can't believe how lucky I am."

I grinned, leaning against his shoulder. "I'm the lucky one, Billie."

He took one of my hands and squeezed it tightly. "No, Izzie, I'm the luckiest man on the planet to be married to you," Billie insisted.

I grinned and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "Let's mingle. I'm dying to get off my feet anyway," I suggested. Billie just laughed, kissing the top of my head.


	34. THIRTY-FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a very special day for Arizona!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is April 16, 2011.

_Shit._ I sat up. "Billie?"

He didn't move or respond.

"Billie."

Yet again, no movement or response.

"Billie!" I winced, biting my lip in an attempt to curb a squeal.

For the third time, no response.

"Billie Joe!"

He shifted onto his back, his head turned toward me. Seeing that I was sitting up with my hand on my very pregnant belly, he bolted awake. "Shit, um, okay." He swung his legs over his bed and stood up, briefly stretching. "I'll get the guys. And my mom."

I smiled at him as he walked out the door. A few minutes later, Tre popped his head in the door, a smile visible on his face even in the darkness. "Let's get you to the car," he said, walking in and taking my hand in his.

I saw his muscles ripple slightly in pulling me off Billie's bed, even in the dark. "Wow," I murmured.

"What?" Tre asked as we left Billie's bedroom.

"You can pull a pregnant girl off of a bed," I answered.

Tre chuckled as we neared the stairs. "I lift drums, Arizona. You're practically nothing compared to some of the drums I've had to pick up before."

The giggle I was about to let out was abruptly cut off by a grimace an another attempt to curb a squeal. I squeezed Tre's hand, hard, and I saw him wince in pain when I looked up at me after it was over. "Sorry," I whispered.

Tre smiled weakly as we continued down the stairs. At the bottom, Mike, Ollie, and of course, Billie Joe were waiting for Tre and I. "Hey, babe," Billie greeted, smiling briefly. He then took my hand from Tre and started to lead me out the door behind Ollie, Mike, and Tre. "Let's go. I'm sure our time is starting to run short already."

When we got to the car, Ollie was already sat in the middle of Mike and Tre, waiting for Billie to get me seated in the passenger seat next to him. "Mom."

Ollie looked up at Billie Joe in his rear-view mirror. "Yes, Billie Joe?"

"How long do we have?"

Ollie looked over at me, watching me for a few moments. "Her contractions are about two and a half minutes apart, maybe two minutes. We have some time, but that doesn't mean you can dawdle."

Billie nodded and shifted his car into drive. "Then let's get this show on the road," he said, pulling out of his driveway.

~***~

I saw four figures outside my door. Two were sitting down, a third was leaning against the door, and the fourth was pacing, most obviously Billie Joe. I smiled and bounced our new daughter in my arms again. I saw a fifth figure by the door, stop Billie Joe from pacing, and then the door handle turned. Finally, they were letting people in. I was dying for my new husband to see his newborn daughter.

Billie Joe was the first to poke his head in the door. "Hey, babe," he whispered, bringing the rest of his body inside my room.

I grinned. "Hi, sweetheart. Come on in out of the doorway and let everyone else come in. I'm sure Ollie wants to meet her granddaughter," I said.

Billie smiled and stepped out of the way of the door, letting Ollie, Mike, Tre, and Zie inside. I guess that Tre had called her while Billie and I were in the delivery room. Billie walked up to me, grinning, and looked down at our daughter. "Here she is," he whispered. "What did you pick for a middle name?" he asked, looking up at me.

I smiled. "Aleah. Cadence Aleah Armstrong."

Billie grinned even wider (if that was at all possible for him) and moved a piece of hair out of my face to kiss me lightly. "I love you, Arizona."

I looked back at Billie and smiled, giggling a little staring into his bright yellow-green eyes. "I love you, too, Billie Joe."

Billie smiled back at me and then looked out at the people standing with us in the room. "Come see our new daughter, everyone. Cadence Aleah Armstrong."

I giggled as people started filing up to my bed. Billie fetched his mother from the back of the room and dragged her to the front of the line at my bedside. He gave her a small push and she smiled, leaning over the bed. "She's beautiful, Arizona," Ollie whispered.

"Thank you," I said quietly, smiling. This process pretty much repeated itself about three more times as Zie, Mike, and Tre all came up to ogle my daughter.

A few hours later, amidst lively conversation and stolen kisses between couples, another head poked through the door, closely followed by another. Billie nudged my arm and pointed to the door; it was my mother and stepfather with my sister. "Mom!" I exclaimed, grinning.

She grinned back at me and hastily handed Alaska to Aran, striding up to me and giving me a modified bear hug. I laughed and she looked down at Cadence. "Oh, she's beautiful, Arizona! What did you and Billie Joe decide on for a name?"

I smiled. "Cadence."

My mom gasped. "Sweetheart, that's gorgeous!"

"Just like her mother," Billie remarked, leaning over to kiss me. I smiled, happily accepting the kiss.

He kissed me again and Aran cleared his throat. We broke apart and I looked at him. "What?"

"Really?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled Billie to me again. He was surprised, but he kissed me all the same. After about five minutes, I pulled away from Billie, making him fall over. Luckily, he caught the railing and righted himself, pretending like nothing just happened. I watched him and giggled before looking back over at Aran. "I'm not shy about kissing my husband in front of people, Aran."

"Well, please try and keep the public displays of affection to a minimum," Aran said. I playfully stuck my tongue out at him and he smiled, bouncing Alaska.

"Oh, Aran, sweetheart, let 'em have a little fun. They just had their first child. Jackson and I were like that when Arizona was born," my mom said, walking over to Aran and kissing his cheek. Aran beamed and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Can I call you a hypocrite now, Aran?" I teased.

Aran looked over at me and I giggled, Billie kissing me on the cheek and sitting down in the chair next to my bed. He took my hand when he was seated, and I looked over at him. He smiled, squeezing my hand. I giggled and squeezed his hand back. "That's what I meant by a minimum," Aran said, smirking.

I laughed, looking down at Cadence. "We're a real family now, Billie," I said, looking over at him and smiling.

Billie smiled and looked back at me. "I thought we were from the moment you agreed to marry me," he said.

I just smiled and kissed him again.


	35. THIRTY-FIVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is May 30, 2011. It is currently 5:00 AM at the beginning of the chapter.

Another cry came from across the hall. Billie tightened his grip around my waist and mumbled something into my shoulder blade. I turned my head as far as I could over to look at him. "What was that, babe?" I asked.

Billie brought his head out of my shoulder blade and rested his chin on the top of it, his eyelids still droopy with sleep. He sighed and blinked once. "Nothing. Go take care of Cadence," he replied.

I smiled and kissed him lightly. "I'll be right back."

"It's not like I was planning on going anywhere," I heard Billie mumble as I walked out of his room and across the hall to where Cadence's crib was set.

I walked up to her crib, her cries subsiding as I approached. I picked her up from her crib and cradled her gently in my arms, and she stopped crying. "Hi sweetheart," I soothed, bouncing her lightly. I sat down in the rocking chair next to her crib and started rocking back and forth.

I rocked her gently for a few moments and then decided to place her back in her crib. She started whining as soon as I started to place her down, so I figured she just wanted some attention. Longing to back in bed with my husband, I took Cadence back in my arms, turned out the light, and walked back down the hallway to what had become Billie Joe's and my bedroom.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and swung my legs over the side, stretching them out next to Billie's sleeping form. He groaned and rolled over, and upon seeing Cadence in my arms, he sat up, smiling. "Well, I see you brought a visitor," he whispered.

I grinned and looked over at his smiling face, nodding. "I know she's probably hungry, she hasn't been fed all night, but I decided to come in here because you hardly ever see her, with all your practices and stuff lately."

Billie nodded and placed his finger in the grasp of Cadence's tiny fingers, watching her wrap them around his finger. I knew it was one of his favorite things to do as a new father. I think it was the sheer fascination of seeing something so fragile and knowing that you helped bring it into the world. I smiled as I watched him and Cadence, and then Cadence started to whine, letting go of Billie's finger. I smiled and shrugged off the left strap of the nightgown I was wearing, letting Cadence suckle gently. "I guess having a baby wasn't all bad for you, babe," Billie remarked quietly, leaning his head on my shoulder.

I looked over at him, rolling my eyes, but still smiling. "And I guess having a baby didn't change your mindset at all, Billie," I replied.

He just smiled and laid down, watching from Cadence breastfeed from an angle.

~~~~~

"Billie, you and I are married now! And are you forgetting that we have a daughter?" I reasoned as calmly as I could manage.

"Izzie, it's not like I don't want us to be together, but I'm part of a budding band! We have to get our music out there if we want to continue to be successful!" Billie replied.

I sighed, placing my head in my hand. "Billie...What about Cadence? What about me?"

"Izzie, baby, I'm sorry, but the mini-tour we went on back in September of last year was cut short by us getting in that accident and it never resumed. The fans that were looking forward to seeing us in the cities that we didn't visit were so disappointed that they weren't going to get to see us. Then we knew that you were pregnant with Cadence, and I decided it was time enough to ask you to marry me, which we did do, and life kinda caught up with us. But now, Mike, Tre, and I all have to get back into a band mindset and think about what we're going to do about the rest of the tour that we didn't get to finish."

Tears started falling from my eyes, landing silently in my lap. "Billie..."

He came closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Izzie. Sweetheart. Don't cry. You survived a week without me before the accident, and look, I survived that."

I cut him off by looking him straight in his yellow-green eyes. "Yes, but then you told me the worst news I had ever heard. You almost broke my heart, Billie Joe. Did anyone ever tell you that?" I asked, barely audible.

Billie stepped away from me slowly, staring at the floor. I saw tears falling silently, landing with the quietest _splash_ , only being able to be heard by two people as quiet as we were. Billie finally shook his head, looking up at me with yellow-green eyes now bloodshot and red from crying. "No," he whispered. "No one ever told me that, Izzie." He looked back down at the floor, more tears falling.

I nodded. "That's why I was so reluctant to trust you again. You almost broke my heart, Billie. It's hard to trust someone who almost broke your heart," I said.

Billie looked back up at me, his eyes even redder and more bloodshot. He nodded and walked over to me, placing a finger gently under my chin and turning my face up to his, kissing me very lightly. He walked around me and placed his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Arizona, baby." He turned his face to meet mine. "If I had known I had hurt you that badly, I never would've asked you to marry me."

I turned around in the seat I was in to fully look at Billie. I smiled weakly and he kissed me firmly, his tears running down my cheeks, and mine down his. When we pulled apart, I kept his face close to mine by holding it. "I want you to finish your tour, Billie Joe. I want you to do whatever you have to to keep Green Day alive. That band was the closest thing you ever had to a family after your dad died and before you met me. I can see that in your eyes when you talk about anything having to do with the band, and especially when you play your guitar. That guitar is practically part of you, Billie Joe. I love you, so much, and I want to see you do what you love. If that requires you being separated from me, so be it."

Billie didn't say anything in response right away; he just kissed me again and enclosed me tightly in his arms, making us both release a wave of fresh tears into each other's shoulders. "I love you, too, Arizona. And thank you," he whispered, squeezing me tightly.


	36. THIRTY-SIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Day is leaving for a make-up tour, with a side of drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is June 25, 2011.

I watched the Green Day trailer turn the corner and my husband wave goodbye, bouncing Cadence in my left arm, and waving back with my right. I tried to make sure that none of my tears fell on Cadence's head, but, as I looked down at her when the truck was out of sight, there were a few drops on the top of her head, which I gently rubbed away with my thumb.

I felt Zie's hand on my shoulder then, and I turned around to face her. "You okay?" she asked quietly. I always admired Zie for her strong will, because I hadn't seen her shed one tear today. And her boyfriend was leaving for the next two months with Mary Jane's boyfriend and my husband today.

I nodded, wiping my tears from my face with my right hand. "I will be, anyway."

Zie smiled, then sobered, looking me in the eye. "Did you tell him?" she asked.

I shook my head, looking down at Cadence. "I didn't have the courage to." I looked up at Zie. "I wanted him to go off on this tour without anything to worry about," I explained.

Zie shook her head disapprovingly. "Ari. He's going to worry anyway. He's going to be spending two whole months away from you," she said.

I smiled. "Well, then, I don't want to give him something _extra_ to worry about," I said, chuckling.

Zie chuckled as well, but sobered up again and sighed. "So when are you going to tell him?"

I sighed as well and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe not until he comes back."

"Arizona! That's two months away! He'll see before you can tell him, and you know he'll suspect the worst," Zie said.

I nodded. "I don't know when then! But I'll tell him."

"Alright. We'll see you at the first show tonight, okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Definitely." I waved and turned around to head back to my house.

~***~

_Start Flashback: 06/11/11_

"I can't believe you'll be leaving next week," I murmured to Billie as the first rays of sun peeked through his blinds.

He propped himself up on his right elbow, laying his head on his right hand, and placed his left hand on my hip, squeezing it. I moved closer into him, and he kissed my forehead. "I do and I don't want to leave," he murmured back.

I smiled. "I can only imagine how you feel about this whole thing. Here, at home, you have a new wife and a new daughter, but you also have an amazing band to promote out there."

Billie nodded and squeezed my waist again, burying his face in my shoulder. The hand that he was propping himself up on went in my hair, and Billie started kissing my neck. I sucked in a breath in surprised. I felt Billie smile against the skin of my neck, and he squeezed my waist again, harder, and he kept his hand in that position. I moaned softly and let my neck drop forward and my nails dig lightly into the skin of Billie's naked back. He brought his face up out of my neck and looked at me. I saw a twinkle in his eye, and, thinking that if Cadence started crying, Ollie would always hear and come take care of her. She always took every chance she got to spend some time with her granddaughter.

I kissed Billie roughly, and he kissed me back with even more passion. I knew that we _both_ knew that this would be the last time we would be together like this until Billie returned from the tour. Passion was our only aim as we quickly, and roughly shed clothes.

###

"Damn, boy. You still got it," I gasped, turning my head to look over at him.

Billie grinned and kissed my cheek. "We really have to get you more used to me," he said, playing with a strand of my hair.

I laughed. "Agreed. If every time is like that, I could get used to getting used to you," I said.

Billie chuckled and kissed my cheek again, kissing a line across my jaw and turning my face toward his. He kissed me lightly on the lips and rolled me on my side to face him. "I love you, Arizona."

I grinned and kissed the top of his nose. "I love you, too, Billie Joe." Billie grinned and kissed me on the lips again. "Everyone's going to miss you terribly. I even told my mom and Aran, and she's like, 'Oh, well we'll miss seeing him around.' Aran just nodded and said jokingly, 'Yeah, I was getting used to the punk hanging around.'"

Billie smiled. "Sounds like you two are warming up to each other a bit more."

I nodded, rubbing my thumb back and forth across his intertwined angels tattoo. I then looked down at his arm, at the tattoo, and started tracing the outline of it lightly with my index finger. "Yeah, we're actually pretty close now. It's pretty cool." There were a few moments of silence and me tracing the outline of Billie's tattoo before I spoke again. "Cadence and I are going to miss you even more than anyone else."

"Even more than my mom?"

I chuckled, nodding. "A lot more than your mom. Maybe it'll give us the chance to spend some time together, though. Your mom and I don't hang out like we used to," I said.

Billie nodded. "She says things like that sometimes. Just random little bits of things that I find useful later in life."

I smiled and I heard Cadence's cries down the hall. Billie kissed me one last time before I arose from his bed and started putting on a mixture of both of our clothes. Billie smiled as he saw me throw one of his t-shirts over my head and walk out of the room.

###

Damn. I wrapped it up in toilet paper and threw it out, leaning against the counter. I wasn't sure how I felt; I was partly happy because I knew this was just an extension of Billie and I as a family, but I was also a bit freaked because Green Day was leaving for a make-up tour tomorrow, and they wouldn't return for two months. I was also a bit freaked because I hadn't really gotten used to being a parent yet. Cadence was only two months old! I still had the rest of her life to learn how to be a teenage parent, and this would just make it harder.

There was one thing I knew for sure, though: I wasn't going to tell Billie right away. I didn't want to give him anything extra to worry about while he's on tour.

"Babe?" Billie called. "You up there?"

"Yeah," I called back.

_End Flashback._

~***~

I bounced Cadence in my arms once or twice as I walked across the cul-de-sac back to my house, feeling much happier since I remembered I was going to the first show of the mind-blowing tour of the most fucking amazing band I had ever heard.

I entered my house with a big smile on my face and ran into Aran on my way up to Cadence's room at my house. "Hey, Arizona. Heading out to see Billie Joe's first show tonight?" he asked.

"Green Day's first show, yes," I said.

Aran nodded. "Alright. Your mom and I aren't planning on going out tonight, so we'll watch Cadence for you," he said.

I smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

He smiled back at me. "Sure thing. Your mom and I might as well take advantage of the rare times we get to spend with her. Your mom says sometimes that she feels like she doesn't even know her own granddaughter." Aran chuckled at the end of his last sentence.

"Well, I probably won't be back till late tonight, so tell my mom she'll have a lot of that time with Cadence," I said.

Aran nodded. "Will do. What time does the show start?"

"Eight," I answered.

Aran nodded again and glanced at a clock I couldn't see. "You should probably start getting ready," he suggested.

I nodded this time. "That's what I was heading upstairs to do," I said.

"Alright. Well, have fun at the show. Give my best to Billie Joe and his band on their tour."

I smiled. "I will." Aran walked back into the kitchen, probably to join my mother in making dinner for themselves. Zie, Mary Jane, and I were all going to catch dinner before the show and meet some other friends at the show.

It was going to be a fucking amazing night.


	37. THIRTY-SEVEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More news.

"Ready to go?" Zie called from the driver's side of her car right after she pulled into my driveway.

I nodded, grinning widely. "Very ready. Let's go! The show starts in two hours and I wanna get up in the front."

"Ari, you're the lead singer's wife. I'm pretty sure the security people would let you up front no matter what," Mary Jane remarked as Zie backed out of my driveway.

I laughed. "Probably, but I'd have to get proof that Billie is my husband, and I just don't carry my marriage license around with me willy-nilly."

That made us all laugh. "Good," Zie said. "Because that would be weird."

I chuckled. "So who else are we meeting at the show?"

"Some old friends of mine," Zie said. I looked at her questioningly. She saw my look in the rear view mirror and laughed. "Don't worry, Jennah went through rehab and Serena only smokes pot now. They're not as hardcore as when I met them."

I patted Zie on the shoulder. "Because that's reassuring," I joked.

~***~

"Okay, this next song is dedicated to my beautiful wife. Let's go!" Billie said, striking a chord and jumping into the air. I grinned and jumped up and down just a bit harder with Mary Jane, Zie, and Zie's two friends, Jennah and Serena, because I knew exactly what song he was going to play.

"I don't want to go back home, I don't want to kiss goodnight, let us paralyze this moment till it dies."

I squealed, jumping up and down with the girls, getting lost in the moment of the beautiful song that I knew Billie Joe had written just for me. I remember when I first saw the lyrics to this song. I had watched Billie write it in intervals, and he never knew I was watching him until he looked up at me, at which times he was embarrassed he had been seen writing lyrics, but I had asked him what he was writing, and he answered, "A song, of course." I chuckled and asked him if I could see the lyrics. Billie then withheld the lyrics and told me that I couldn't see them yet.

The night that I brought Cadence home was the night that he gave me the lyrics. We were laying together in bed late that night, and I was falling asleep when I felt Billie's hand shaking me back awake. "Billie," I had whined. "I want to go to sleep! I just had our child yesterday."

That made Billie laugh and say to me, "Here. I just wanted to give this to you."

I opened my eyes and saw a piece of paper laying on the bed between us. I turned it over in my hands, and saw it was a song entitled "Cigarettes and Valentines." I began to read the lyrics, and I started smiling instantly. I had the biggest grin on my face when I had finished reading the song, and looked over at Billie, taking his face in my hands and kissing him. "Billie, this is beautiful," I had said to him.

He was grinning, too. "I'm really happy you like it. I started writing it when we first starting dating, but I couldn't think of the end lyrics until I asked you to marry me. I had finished the song, but I knew I had to wait for the right moment to give it to you," he explained.

I chuckled. "Well I think you found it," I had said, and kissed him again.

"Oh, come away with me tonight, with cigarettes and valentines, cigarettes and valentines!" Billie sang, bringing me back to the present. I was squealing and grinning and jumping and not giving a shit what anyone was thinking of me. I was just enjoying the end of the beautiful song that my husband had written just for me, his beautiful wife.

~***~

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming out tonight, everybody!" Billie yelled into the microphone, and the crowd cheered their version of "you're welcome." Then, Billie lifted his guitar off over his neck, Mike with his bass, and Tre stood up from behind his drum set and threw his sticks into the crowd. Billie held his guitar up over his head with one hand and threw his pick into the crowd, Mike with his bass and pick, and then they all bowed and ran off stage.

Zie told Jennah and Serena that she would meet them outside, and then her, Mary Jane, and I all forced our way through the mass exodus of the crowd and skirted around to the backstage area. The security guard waved us by, and we entered to see our respective men.

I gave Billie a huge bear hug. "You were awesome, babe," I muttered into his ear.

He released me and grinned. "Did you enjoy your tribute?" he asked.

I nodded vigorously. "It threw me back to when you first gave me those lyrics," I told him.

Billie's eyes lit up since he was already grinning. "The night we brought Cadence home."

I nodded, smiling, and kissed him. I then made a split decision in my head. "Billie, I have to tell you something before you leave."

"Yeah, babe?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant again." No beating around the bush with this one.

Billie's bright green eyes searched my face for some sort of indication that I was joking or something, but he found none. "Really?" he said quietly. I nodded. "From our...?"

"Parting remarks," I finished, nodding.

Billie took a deep breath this time. "Wow. Are you okay? Like, are you going to keep it?"

"Yes, Billie. I know it's going to be hard with Cadence only two months old, but we're going to get through this, okay?" I reassured him.

Billie finally smiled again and kissed me. "Okay. Keep me updated, okay, sweetheart? We have to pack up and get ready to go. I love you so much, Arizona. Two months is gonna go by before we know it."

I smiled and kissed him back. "Okay. I love you, too, Billie. And of course I'll keep you updated. You'll be the first to know."

Billie's eyes brightened again. "Good." He kissed me one last time. "Bye, love."

"Bye, Billie." I gave him one last hug, and he, Tre, and Mike all went back to the stage to take down their stuff and pack up for the second show in their tour. Zie and Mary Jane found me, and we all held hands as we watched our men walk out the door. We heaved a collective sigh and walked out the door to meet Jennah and Serena outside.

"Did you tell him, Ari?" Zie asked as we walked out.

I didn't answer her, just smiled.


	38. THIRTY-EIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Day is on tour, and Arizona is pregnant again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is July 9, 2011.

Green Day had been on tour for two weeks, and I was three weeks pregnant. It was official; I was pregnant again. Aran and I had grown very close since my sister was born, so we were easily able to get out of the house to get me a doctor's appointment. And for the past month, I had been helping him plan his wedding to my mother. Yeah, that was official, too; my mom was getting remarried, and it had spurred in me a desire to find my biological father. After all, I hadn't seen him since he left my mother and I ten years ago. I wondered if he had another family, and I knew I wanted to tell him about my new family.

"Arizona?" Aran said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I shook my head lightly and looked over at him, smiling. "Sorry, Aran, I was just thinking about something," I answered.

"You've been thinking a lot lately," he remarked.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind."

"You have a lot on your plate for an eighteen-year-old girl. You're married, with a three-month-old daughter, and another child on the way. All the other eighteen-year-olds are probably still vacationing before they go back for their sophomore year of college," Aran said.

I shrugged. "I'm almost nineteen, actually," I said.

Aran chuckled. "You still have another month before that, Arizona. So what have you been thinking about?"

I grinned at him, my face going solemn quickly. "Honestly, I've been thinking about going out to find my biological father. I'm almost nineteen, and my mom is getting remarried. Sure, I call you Dad, but I want to see my biological father before I get my roots in too deep here with Billie and Cadence," I explained. I placed a hand on my stomach, looking down at it. "And my new baby," I added.

Aran was silent for a moment, taking it all in. "That sounds like a solid plan, Arizona, I wish you luck juggling being pregnant for a second time with a young child already while your husband is traveling North America for two months and you finding your biological father while you help your soon-to-be stepfather plan his wedding to your mother."

I leaned in and gave Aran a hug. "Thanks, Aran," I said with a giggle.

~~~

"So what's it like?" Mary Jane asked me.

"What's what like?" I asked back.

She smiled. "Having the life."

"The life?" I asked again.

Mary Jane laughed this time. "The life, Arizona! You're married! And to a guy who's semi-famous, not to mention one who loves you and tells you so very frequently! You have a daughter, and you're pregnant again! _And you're only, like, nineteen!_ "

I laughed this time, grinning at Mary Jane and shrugging. "I dunno! I don't know how to describe it. It's...it's something you have to experience for yourself. Marrying a rock star is every pre-teen girl's dream, and I got to do that, seven months pregnant on my wedding day. I then had Cadence, and my new husband left with your men, too, and I'm pregnant _again_ , and I'm a month away from nineteen. It's crazy, and I'm not even sure how much crazier life is gonna get once I have this baby," I explained, placing a hand on my stomach.

"Speaking of being pregnant," Zie cut in casually. Both Mary Jane and I looked up at her, Mary Jane with a cocked eyebrow, and me with a dawning of realization.

"Oh my God!" I squealed. Zie grinned.

"What?" Mary Jane asked, looking back and forth between me and Zie multiple times.

"I'm pregnant!" Zie squeaked.

I reached across our little circle and gave Zie a huge hug. "Oh my God, Zie! Does Tre know? It _is_ Tre's, right?" I asked.

Zie laughed. "Of course it is! And no, Tre doesn't know. I decided at the last minute before the guys left that I wouldn't tell him until he got back."

"But won't it be hard keeping that from him?" Mary Jane asked.

I looked over at Mary Jane, nodding in agreement, then looked back at Zie, my hands on her shoulders from my hug. "That's why I made the last minute decision to tell Billie because I wouldn't be able to keep something like that from him," I said.

Zie shrugged. "I dunno how I'll do it, but I will. And if I accidentally happen to let it slip, or something just really makes me want to tell him, I'll tell him, it's whatever. If I can keep it a secret for two months, I'll tell him when he gets back," she explained.

"Does anyone else know?" I asked.

Zie shook her head. "Just you two. Not even my parents know yet."

Mary Jane raised her eyebrows at Zie, and I gave her a disapproving look. "Zie, you have to tell your parents. How far along are you?" I asked.

"About a month," she answered. "I've been fighting with myself about when to tell him, and I decided last minute not to. I used your reasoning, Ari, that I don't want Tre worrying about me because _we're_ not married or have another kid or anything."

I scoffed and waved her off, sitting back against the couch like I had been previously. "Oh, shush."

Zie chuckled and sighed, a happy sigh. "I'm happy that I'm pregnant. I hope it's a boy," she said, rubbing a hand over her flat-for-now stomach.

"Yeah?" Mary Jane asked, and Zie just nodded.

Zie then turned her attention to me and asked, "What about you, Ari? What do you hope the sex of your baby will be?"

I smiled. "I want my baby to be a boy, too," I said.

"Because you already have a daughter?" Zie asked.

I laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I want to have the experiences of raising both a son and a daughter."

"How weird would it be if your kids had the same birthday?" Mary Jane joked.

"It would be easy to remember, but I wouldn't like it 'cause when they get older, they would start fighting over who would get to have friends over on that day because there is _no_ way that I'm letting both my children have their friends over at the same time. I don't want that many teenagers in the same house as me and my children when they get to be that age," I explained, laughing lightly towards the end.

Zie and Mary Jane chuckled with me. "Yeah, I guess that would be a pain in the ass," Mary Jane said, smiling.

It was then that I received a phone call, my ringtone going off in my pocket and startling all of us. "Holy hell, _who_ is calling me?" I muttered. I didn't recognize the number, so I answered it. "Hello?"

"Arizona?" I would recognize that voice anywhere.

My eyes started to well with tears. This was the first time I had actually talked to my father in almost eleven years. "Dad?"

"Hey. I got your message when you called last week, it's just that I've been really busy helping to plan my stepdaughter's wedding, and today was the first day I actually had enough time to call you back. I hope you understand," he said.

I nodded profusely even thought Zie and Mary Jane were the ones to see me and not my father. "Yeah, yeah, I completely understand. I've been busy helping my soon-to-be stepfather plan his wedding," I replied, chuckling.

"Your mom's getting remarried?" my dad asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," I said. "He's a good guy, Dad, you don't have to worry about that."

I heard a small sigh of relief before my father spoke again. "So, how are you, Arizona?" he asked.

"Really good. Life's been pretty crazy since Mom and I moved here to Oakland."

"Yeah? Crazy good or crazy bad?"

"Good. Definitely crazy good."

"Care to share a little bit? I know it's been almost eleven years since we've even spoken, and we can catch up in depth later, I have my schedule right in front of me, but you've got me curious as to what you mean," my father said.

I smiled. "It's not really something I can summarize," I said.

"It can be a tad long, I don't mind."

"Well, let's just say that I met a guy on the night we moved in, and I haven't had the life of a normal teenager since then," I said.

"Okay, now you and I _definitely_ need to get together and catch up. How about lunch?" my father asked.

I smiled even wider. "Lunch sounds wonderful. What day did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Hmm." I heard my dad flipping pages. "How about Monday afternoon at around two? I have the afternoon free of wedding planning and I'm not working," he suggested.

I thought for a moment. "Yeah, that works. Have anywhere special in mind?"

"How about I meet you in Oakland? I'm staying in Fresno, so I don't mind driving a couple hours out there."

"Uhm, yeah, if you want to drive out here! I know this awesome little cafe that just opened. Why don't you bring that stepdaughter of yours with you?" I suggested.

My dad laughed. "I don't think she'll stop talking about the wedding, so why don't I bring my wife? And you bring that man of yours?"

I laughed this time. "My man is out of the country at the moment, but I'd be glad to bring your granddaughter," I answered.

"Alright then," my dad said, and I could hear the surprise in his voice at my mention of the word "granddaughter," but he held it in because he knew I would just tell him that he would see her on Monday. "Can I have the address of this awesome little cafe?"

"1805 Telegraph Avenue, here in Oakland," I told him.

He paused a moment to write the address down. "1805, okay. You can expect Morgana and I to be there by two o'clock on Monday afternoon."

I grinned. "Okay, Cadence and I will meet you there at two o'clock."

"Great. See you on Monday, Arizona," my father said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah, see you then. Bye, Dad," I said, and hung up. I looked out at Zie and Mary Jane.

"So that was your dad?" Zie asked. I nodded. "Awesome."

I nodded. "I'm glad I finally get to see my dad after almost eleven years. It's like I'm going to reliving the past years with him."


	39. THIRTY-NINE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arizona reunites with her father after almost eleven years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is July 11, 2011.

I was holding Cadence, just bouncing her as she made gurgling noises like babies do. I skillfully pulled my phone out of my pocket as I felt it start to vibrate, and saw I was being called. I was confused, though, when I saw it was Zie and not my father. "Zie, hold on for two seconds," I said, placing my phone down on the table. I kissed Cadence's forehead and placed her back in her car seat, then picked my phone up off the table and held it to my ear. "Hi, sorry about that, I had to put Cadence down. What's up?"

"Arizona!" Zie squealed.

"What??" I asked.

"I just got a call from Tre," she said.

My jaw dropped open, and I glanced up as I heard the door to the cafe open. It was a man and a woman, he probably in his mid-forties, and she probably in her late thirties, and I saw the man scan the cafe. He was looking for someone, and I saw his face light up when his eyes landed on me. It was my father and step-mom. I waved over at him, and he grinned, turning back to his wife and beckoning she follow him. "And? What did he say?" I asked Zie, turning back to my conversation. My father waved to me, grinning widely as he let his wife sit down before him. I grinned widely back at him, and mouthed a hello before pointing to my phone and holding up a finger.

"Well, he just called to say, and ask how much I was missing him yet," Zie answered, chuckling.

"Aww," I cooed. "Did anything come up about...y'know?" I alluded.

"That's what I meant to call you about," Zie said.

I gasped, making my father smile. I saw him say something quietly to his wife, and she smiled as well, looking at me. I smiled at her and the smile she had stayed on her face. "You told him??" I asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Zie squeaked.

"And what did he say? How did he react?" I pried.

"Well, I told him that I had something to tell him, and he asked what it was. I took a deep breath and told him not to, like, freak out or anything, he hurriedly agreed because he was very eager to know what I had to tell him, and then...I told him. I said to him straight-out, "I'm pregnant."," Zie explained.

"Oh my God!" I squealed. "And how did he react??"

"He was ecstatic! He said, 'Zie, baby, that's amazing!! Are you just figuring it out?' And then I told him, no, I had known for a little while and I just didn't know when to tell him, and he asked how long I had known, and I said about a month, and he was _freaking the fuck out_ , Ari, it was actually pretty funny. But yeah, I told him, and I just feel so...up on Cloud 9 that I had to tell someone!"

"Well, I'm glad that you chose me to talk to. Listen, though, I'm actually at lunch with my dad, so I'll talk to you later, okay?" I said.

"Yeah! You tell me how everything goes when you get back!" she said.

I laughed. "I always do, darling. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye!" Zie said, and hung up. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and looked up at my dad, seeing his wife smiling widely at Cadence. I smiled and looked back over at my dad.

"Arizona," he said.

"Dad," I said, my eyes starting to brim with tears. We both stood up and enveloped each other in one of the biggest hugs I have ever received in my entire life. I swear we were wrapped around each other for at least five minutes.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both crying, and then we both laughed as my dad wiped away my tears and then his own. As he sat back down, his wife handed him a tissue out of her purse, and then handed me one. "Thanks," I said quietly, as I took the tissue from her and wiped my face off properly. Once our faces were dried and we were composed enough to speak, my dad says, "Please forgive my extreme rudeness, this is my wife, Morgana. Morgana, this is my daughter, Arizona."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Everett has told me as much as he can remember about you ever since he got your message," she said, holding out her hand.

I shook her hand and smiled. "I would say the same, but yesterday was the first time I had even spoken to my father in almost eleven years."

Morgana laughed. "I understand. So, you and your father have a lot of catching up to do, huh?"

I chuckled and smiled over at my father. "Yeah, we really do. We might be here for a good couple hours."

Morgana smiled. "Well, I have no problems leaving Everett here, but I can only stay for a little bit. I have a meeting this evening that I need to get back for in time, as much as I'd like to stay and get to know my, well, stepdaughter."

I smiled at her. I liked her already. "Well here," I said, pulling my purse next to me from the edge of the seat of the booth. I wrote down my phone number on a Post-it note and stuck it to the table in front of Morgana. "That's my cellphone number. You can call me to chat whenever. Or you can text, if you're into that."

Morgana smiled again. "Thanks, Arizona. I'll see what's on my schedule after the school year starts, and perhaps I can peel away from my duties to come get to know you better."

"School year?" I asked.

"I'm a high school principal," she said.

My eyebrows shot up and I looked over at my dad. "Dad, you didn't tell me you had a top-shit wife."

Both my father and Morgana laughed, making me grin. "Well, that's enough about me! This lunch is supposed to be for your father and you," Morgana said.

My father smiled. "So, Arizona, tell me. Tell me about your life. Well, at least the most important points," he said.

I continued to grin. "Well...I'll start with middle school. It was kind of rough, and I had my friends and Mom to pull me through, but there were some times when I seriously considered committing suicide. Mom was amazing throughout the whole thing, like, this whole stage of my life brought her and I so much closer together, and I kind of feel bad about drifting apart from her again now that I'm married to a rock star and have a daughter, and have another kid on the way. She actually paid for me to see a therapist, and I was 13 and 14," I started.

My dad's eyes were wide as dinner plates and his jaw was practically on the table. "Well, that's one way to start off the conversation! Arizona, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. Did this continue into high school?"

I nodded. "Yup, I continued to see that therapist until I was 15. Two years until I was completely past my suicidal phase," I said.

"Wow," my dad said. "Just wow. So, what happened after that? Something happy, I hope?"

I chuckled and leaned over and took a whining Cadence in my arms. I started rocking her gently back and forth as I continued to explain the decade of my life that my father had missed. "Yes. After I had gotten over my suicidal thoughts and shit, pardon my French, I went on to excel throughout the rest of high school. I had my first boyfriend when I was a sophomore, and my first kiss, subsequently, and we ended up dating for around nine months."

"And how was your mom with this whole boyfriend business?" my dad asked warily.

I laughed. "Don't worry, Dad, Mom was definitely always wondering what was going on with that first boyfriend. Every time after he left the house, she would sit me down and make me tell her the gritty details of everything that we did, even if she was there to witness some of it, and she wouldn't let me leave the couch until I had told her the truth about everything. She was actually pretty strict about my boyfriends, especially in the beginning, but she softened up quite a bit once I turned 16 and 17, and knew what I was getting into with certain guys."

My dad smiled, chuckling a little. "Good. What happened next?"

"After that guy and I broke up, I was single for about four or five months before I started dating this guy named Charlie." I took a deep breath.

My dad looked at me, concerned. "I can sense things didn't go well with this Charlie."

I smiled briefly, remembering all the times Charlie and I had. "I had gotten really into art classes and things around this time in high school, I was at the end of my sophomore year, and I had a knack for drawing eyes. I met Charlie in one of my art classes in the second semester, and we started dating at the beginning of the last marking period. We dated for...a year and a half, and it did not end well."

"What happened?" my dad asked.

I took another deep breath. "I turned 16 shortly after Charlie and I started dating, and Charlie was a year older than me, so he thought he knew what was best for our relationship, but only after I turned 16. So, a week after my birthday, he tried to convince me to have sex with him." My dad raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes slightly. "Dad, nothing happened. That was our first fight. I told him I had just turned 16, and that I was nowhere near ready to have sex yet, and he came back with the fact that he was older, and that I should trust him because he knew what he was doing, and I just wouldn't have any of it, so we didn't talk for two weeks. After two weeks, he texted me one morning and apologized for being an asshole about trying to get me to have sex with him, and he didn't try again until around the end of our relationship. He was actually very understanding and respectful of me after that, which was why we stayed together so long.

"Over the course of our relationship, I had gotten deep into art classes, and he was the first guy I ever truly loved. He loved me too, so there was no rough ground there, and I had really gotten into drawing Charlie's eyes. There were days when he would come over the house or I would go over his, and I would bring my art stuff and we would just sit there and I would draw his eyes for hours. And then we would have some time for ourselves, of course, but those were good days."

"So what went wrong?" my dad asked.

"Well, in the middle of my junior and his senior year of high school, he started hanging out with these...kids, and they were very into drugs and violence and shit, and he once staggered over to the house at midnight, high off his _ass_ , and tried to get me to have sex with him. I refused, of course, since I could smell the drugs on him about 10 feet away, but it took me about 2 hours to actually get him off of me and out of the house. Mom was...beyond pissed. She was fucking furious, and she didn't let Charlie back over the house ever again. Hell, every time I told her I was going over to his house, I had to give her a legitimate reason why I was going over there, because she absolutely _**hated**_ him after the drug incident. Anyway, I think it was the last time I went over his house, like, ever, we got talking about the drugs and violence and shit, and we got into this huge-ass fight about it all, and we didn't talk for the rest of the week. On that Friday, in art class, I entered and I went up to him, and told him that I was done with all his drug shit, and that if he wanted to keep seeing me, he had to give it all up."

"What did he do?" my dad asked.

"He gave it up. He gave up the drugs and the violence. He wanted to stay with me, and that really proved something to me, so I think that's why we stayed together even after he graduated and left for college. We didn't stay together long after he went away to college, though."

"I assume something went wrong whilst he was there," Morgana said. She then nudged my father, asking him to move because she had to leave. "I'm sorry I have to leave, but you have to tell me the rest of this story some other time, Arizona."

I smiled up at her as she smoothed down her tight skirt. "Yeah, definitely. It was wonderful meeting you."

She smiled back at me. "You, too. I hope to continue this story very soon."

"Yeah, definitely," I said. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye," she said to me, and then leaned down to kiss my father. She mumbled something to him I couldn't hear, then kissed him again before standing up and leaving.

I watched her walk out the door and looked back over at my father, his eyes slightly dreamy. "Anyway, I was going to say that yes, things went very wrong. You see, I was there to see Charlie off to college. He pulled me close, and told me that he had gotten Skype just so he could see me and talk to me at the same time whilst he was at college, but of course, he would call me too. And this ended up working out pretty well; we would call or Skype each other every other day, and tell each other stories of our days and stories about life at home still in high school and college respectively. One night, I guess he was drunk or something, he answered his Skype call, but there was someone in the room with him."

"Another woman?" my dad asked, a grimace starting to form on his face.

I shook my head, laughing lightly. "No, actually. Another guy. Charlie told me he had been experimenting whilst at college, and he said he actually liked fucking guys. At that, my heart was pretty much shattered, even if he was drunk, so I just signed off and cried myself to sleep for...hours. The next time I spoke with him was two days later, and I told him everything that he had done on our previous Skype call. He was appalled at himself, because he didn't remember any of it, and he tried to apologize, but I just told him that apologizing wouldn't make the fact that he ran around with _another guy_ behind my back, let alone another woman, and that he didn't even have the common sense whilst shit-faced to not go on the computer okay. So I just told him that I was ending the relationship, and to have fun continuing to experiment whilst at college. And that was the end of that. I was a mess for the next month, and was just starting to recover when Mom told me that we were moving, and moving to Oakland, eight hours away from everything and everyone I had come to know and love."

"And that just sent you spinning back down into depression again," my dad said.

I shrugged. "Not really depression, more of rebellion. This is when I started drifting away from my mother and getting deep into the punk rock scene. I made a whole new group of friends and snuck out at night to go to punk shows, and then wouldn't return until four in the morning on school nights. And to this day, my mom still wonders why I slept through my alarm. Anyway, getting into the punk scene wasn't how I met Billie Joe," I explained.

"Billie Joe?" my dad asked.

I grinned. "That's my husband's name."

My dad now smiled. "And how _did_ you meet him, then?"

I grinned widely at the memory. "When Mom and I were moving into the new house here in Oakland, he actually came up and said hi, because he lives in the cul-de-sac that we live on the street part of."

"And how did you start dating?" my dad asked.

I giggled. He still could be my father after all these years apart. "He climbed into my window later that morning and invited me to his band practice, and therefore his house, so I stayed there for a while, and after about a day of kissing and canoodling in his bedroom, he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"And his proposal?" Goodness, my father did not stop.

"Him and his two band mates got in a car accident during their tour of the West Coast, so when I went to see him in the hospital, he proposed to me. Of course, we have had our squabbles as well. Actually, after he proposed to me was when we had our first big fight. I was actually three months pregnant with this one here when it all happened," I explained, gesturing towards Cadence, who was now whining quite loudly. She was getting hungry. "I hope you don't mind if I pop out a boob. The little one is getting hungry," I added.

My dad shook his head and gestured towards the whining and squirming Cadence. "By all means," he said, and I smiled. I lifted up my shirts and let Cadence begin to suckle, earning myself a couple weird looks being only eighteen and having a baby suckle my breast in the middle of a restaurant.

"Anyway," I continued, hoisting Cadence up a little to give her a better angle as she grasped my breast with her tiny hands. I smiled as I watched her, then looked back up at my father. There was a sequence of me looking between my father and my suckling daughter as I spoke. "Billie confessed to having cheated on me pretty much right before he proposed to me. As in, he did the cheating right before he proposed to me, but I didn't figure it out for a couple of weeks. Of course, things worked out because we're married now, but it was definitely a test of the relationship. And then, things just happened to work out the way they are, because I'm married to a rock star, and I have his beautiful daughter, with another child on the way."

My dad raised his eyebrows and his eyes got very wide. "Say again?"

Cadence detached from my breast, and I let my shirts down. There were a few moments of silence before I spoke again. "I'm married to the lead singer and guitarist of a semi-famous punk band, I have his daughter, and I'm pregnant again," I repeated, slowly.

"WOW!" my dad exclaimed, leaning back against the cushion of the back of the seat of the booth. "So this is my granddaughter," he said, gesturing towards her.

"Mhm," I said. "Her name is Cadence. Cadence Aleah Armstrong. Would you like to hold her?"

My dad grinned and nodded vigorously. I smiled and got up, handing over my daughter to my biological father. He took her in his arms and bounced her a couple times, getting her to look up at him. "Hi," he cooed softly. "I'm your other grandpa. It's nice to meet you."

I smiled watching my father with my daughter. "And don't worry, you'll get to meet your other grandchild when I have it," I said.

My dad looked up at me. "I'd really like that, Arizona." I smiled again, and let my dad hold my daughter before he gave her back to me. I continued to smile as he transferred her back to my arms, and he watched me a moment before saying, "You're gonna make an amazing mother."

"Thanks, Dad. I can only hope that Cadence will see enough of her dad. I think Billie has the same worry, especially since I'm pregnant again and Cadence is only three months old. And that was one of the other guys' girlfriends I was on the phone with when you came in, telling me that she told her boyfriend that she's pregnant."

"Shit, Arizona! I really need to keep up with you, which I can tell is going to be fucking hard. You're married, have a three-month-old daughter, and are pregnant again, all before you turn nineteen. You've basically condensed about five years into under one," my dad said.

I laughed. "Yeah, it's been crazy, but good crazy, like I said on the phone."

My dad smiled. "Well that's good. You certainly have a lot going on. You ever gonna go to school?" he asked.

I shrugged, placing Cadence back down in her little car seat. "I dunno. I mean, I've certainly thought about it, but how much would I actually pay attention if I went now? I have a three-month-old daughter and am pregnant again."

My dad smirked. "I didn't mean now, Arizona, I meant in the future."

I chuckled, embarrassed slightly. "Oh, well, in that case, I might go back to school when the kids are old enough to be in school themselves and I can secure someone to look after them while I'm in classes and Billie is working hard on his music or something."

"You'll figure it out. You've grown into quite the young woman, Arizona."

I smiled. "Thanks, Dad." I checked my phone for the time. "Oh shit! It's almost five o'clock! We've been here for three hours!"

"Have we?" he asked incredulously, checking his watch. "Well, whaddya know, we have. I best get going then. I have a bit of a drive back 'home.'"

I smiled, standing with my father and enveloping each other in another enormous hug. "We need to do this again sometime. This was fucking _awesome_ ," I said, after we pulled back from the hug.

"Yes, definitely. I will call you the next time I'm available, okay?"

I nodded. "Please do. I'll see you later, okay, Dad?"

He smiled. "Yes. It's been great to see you, Arizona. I love you."

I grinned and pecked my dad on the cheek. "It was great to see you, too, Dad. And I love you too."

"Bye, Arizona," he said, waving.

"Bye, Dad," I said, waving back as he walked away. I let out a long sigh after he left and had a smile that didn't leave my face for a very long time even after I got home.

Of course, when I did get home, my mother was coming down the stairs, looking very frantic. "Arizona! Where have you been all afternoon??" she shrieked.

"Calm down, Mom, I was just out."

"Out where? With whom??"

"Mom! Calm down! I was just at that new cafe that opened a few weeks ago."

"And who were you there with for three hours?"

I took a deep breath. "My father."


	40. FORTY

"Your...your father?" my mom asked, stunned. All the rage she had upon me entering the house had melted, and she was just staring at me, probably wondering what sort of coverup this was for whom I was actually with.

"Yes, Mom, my father. Y'know, the man who left you and me eleven years ago? The man who just dropped the life he had made in San Diego with us and just walked out? Well, I finally found him again, Mom. Starting to get my own roots in and beginning to bring up my own family got me wanting to get my roots back in with my real family, the one who brought me up. And I know you've been so good to me, Mom, you've been like both of my parents to me since Dad left, but I wanted to find him again, because I had to grow up without a father, and...and...yeah." I finished with a loud exhale.

I looked up at my mother, since I had gotten lost in my rambling, and when I did, I saw she had tear tracks on her cheeks. "Arizona..."

"Mom, I just wanted to find my father. And I did, Mom, I did. And he has a new life now, but I hope that we can somehow find somewhere in our lives to let him back in," I told her, handing Cadence's carrier to Aran, who had come around the corner probably when he heard me come in the door, and I engulfed my mother in the biggest hug I had ever given her.

We stood there, hugging in the foyer, for probably about five minutes. When we finally peeled ourselves away from each other, Aran held out Cadence's carrier towards me, and I picked her up out of it. He then walked up the stairs to go put the carrier in my room, while my mom wiped her face and sniffled. "So what's he like, your father?" she asked.

I smiled and nodded towards the living room. "Come and sit down, Mom, there's a lot to tell."

~***~

"So what's he like?" my mother asked me again, sitting next to me on the couch in the living room. Once she had settled down for the most part, we had made ourselves some popcorn, and placed it in a bowl in the middle of the glass coffee table in front of us, two glasses of lemonade on either side of it.

I smiled. "Well, first, he's remarried."

"I figured he would be. Have you met her?"

"Yeah, she came with him to the cafe."

"What's she like?"

"Well, she didn't stay long, so I didn't get to learn much about her, but she seems nice," I said. "She's a high school principal, I know that much, and she has a daughter."

"A high school principal?" I nodded. "And a daughter?" I nodded again, taking a sip of my lemonade. "How old is she?"

I shrugged. "I dunno exactly, but old enough to be getting married."

"So your father has a new wife and a stepdaughter who's getting married," my mom said.

"Yup, that's about it so far," I assured her.

She turned to look at me as she popped a couple pieces of popcorn into her mouth. "What else?" she asked around the popcorn.

I smiled as I popped a couple pieces into my mouth, too. "Well, I gave her my phone number because she wanted to hear the end of the life story I was telling Dad, but I haven't gotten around to talking to her again yet. I think we're gonna go out to lunch to finish this story." My mother was giving me a wary look. "Don't worry, Mom, she's perfectly okay." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Besides," I said, taking my hand off her shoulder to pop a couple more pieces of popcorn in my mouth, "How bad could she really be? She's a high school principal, so at least we know she's rolling in some nice coin for Dad and her daughter."

My mom chuckled. "I assume she invited you to the wedding, then. Her daughter's wedding?"

"Yeah, and I think I'm gonna go. I mean, Dad's gonna be there, so it'll be another opportunity to see him, and I'm gonna bring Billie, if he's back by then, of course." I looked over at my mother's wary face again. "Mom, calm down! It's my father's stepdaughter's wedding. I mean, I am related to the bride's stepfather, so why can't I be there?"

My mother sighed. "I dunno, Arizona, I just don't know if I want you around all those people, I mean, are you going to be taking Cadence?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, probably not. I mean, with all those people, I think I would draw too much attention to myself." My mother gave me a disapproving look. "What?" I asked.

"Arizona," she said. "You're married to a rockstar. If you bring him to the wedding, there are bound to be people who will notice him, especially if the wedding is around here."

I nodded. "Yeah, but I think bringing a baby to a wedding is like bringing chocolate to a room full of menstruating women." My mom quirked an eyebrow. "They'll all flock to the chocolate, so, by analogy, all the girls and young women are going to flock to Cadence and I, and I don't want all the extra attention _because_ I'm married to a rockstar, and people are _bound_ to notice him. You think I didn't think about all of this when I agreed to come and bring Billie with me?" I asked.

My mother heaved a very big sigh, then smiled at me. "You really are your mother's daughter," she said, and kissed my forehead before popping another couple pieces of popcorn in her mouth and washing it down with a sip of lemonade. "Anything else I should know about your father now?"

I thought for a moment, chewing slowly on the piece of popcorn in my mouth, then shook my head and popped another piece. "He wants to get together again with me, and he wants to meet Billie when he comes back into the country, and he wants to meet his second granddaughter when I have her," I said, looking down at my stomach and smiling. I looked back up at my mother, and she was smiling.

"Well, Arizona, I think you've grown into a fine woman, and, as much as it still hurts, I think I'm beginning to be able to let you go. You're married now, and you have a daughter, and I think it's great that you're rediscovering your roots. Just don't forget your ol' mom, okay?"

I giggled. "Mom. How could I forget you?" I said, and pulled her into a hug.

"It's just a mother's worry, Arizona." She pulled away and smiled widely at me. "Now, let me help you get your things." She stood up and held out her hand.

"Aww, Mom...don't make me cry."


	41. FORTY-ONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arizona is moving out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is July 14, 2011.

"So where do you wanna start, Arizona?" my mom asked, hands on her hips as we stood in the doorway of my bedroom with piles of boxes right behind us.

I shrugged and smiled widely at my daughter in her crib in the corner of the room. "I dunno. I guess we can just start packing things into boxes. Do we have the bubble wrap up here?"

My mom quickly scanned my room and the area outside the door. "No, I don't see it," she said. "Want me to go get it?"

"Yeah, because I'll need it for the stuff on top of my bookshelf and the snow globes and stuff," I said.

"Are you sure you're gonna have room for all of your stuff over at Billie's house?" my mom asked.

I shrugged. "I dunno, I haven't been there in a while because Green Day's out on tour; I don't have much of a reason to be over his house except for every once in a while to say hi to Ollie. If there's not enough room in the bedroom, I'm sure Ollie can find a way to make the extra stuff look nice around the house."

My mom smiled. "Alright then. I'll be right back. Why don't you start bringing things together ad packing them up?"

I smiled back at my mom. "Alright. I'm gonna put on some music."

"Not too loud," my mom called form the stairs. "Your very young daughter is still in the room."

I sighed with a smile as I docked my iPod and put on some quiet music. I kind of hoped that Cadence would get mine and her father's music interest when she grew up. I walked over to Cadence's crib and let her hold my finger for a few minutes. I smiled as she waved her little hand around and I gently stroked her sparse head of hair a few times. "We're moving out, Cadence, sweetheart. We're starting our own life, finally," I murmured to her. I leaned in and kissed her forehead gently.

"I thought I told you to start getting stuff ready," my mom said, mock annoyance in her voice.

I chuckled. "Yeah, well, I'm a mom, too, I do have to remember that," I said. I noticed the roll of Scotch tape on my mom's finger. "Oh, good, you got tape, too."

My mom smiled. "Now, really, Arizona, where do you want to start with all this stuff of yours?"

~***~

One hour and half a roll of bubble wrap later, my mom and I had one box packed full of the little things that adorned my furniture. Cadence then started crying, drowning out the quiet music I had put on when we started. I sighed and stood up, walking over to her crib. I picked her up out of it and held her gently to my chest. Her cries continued after a few minutes of being held, so I then knew she was hungry. I sat down on the edge of my bed, and held up my shirt for Cadence. She eagerly latched onto my exposed breast and began to suckle. I looked over at my mother. "It seems we're taking a bit of a break," I said, smiling.

After a moment, smaller cries could be heard from the guest bedroom. "That must be Alaska," my mom said. She stood up and walked towards my bedroom door. "I'll be right back." My mom walked out and I looked down at Cadence, still suckling, but not as intently. When my mom came back with a whining Alaska, she sat down next to me on my bed and smiled over at me. "I never thought this would happen to me," she said.

"What's that?" I said, glancing over at her while she lifted her shirt for Alaska.

"I never thought I would be sitting side-by-side with my daughter while we both nurse our children. It's kind of...magical, I suppose," my mom explained.

I grinned. "Yeah, I guess it is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," I agreed. I felt a released pressure on my breast, and looked down to see Cadence had detached from me. I rolled my shirt back down and just held Cadence for a little while while my mom continued to nurse Alaska.

When she finished, we switched babies; I held my baby sister, and my mom got to hold her granddaughter. We were cooing respectively at them, smiling widely and watching them smile back at us, toothless. "Wait until you'll be babysitting them both together, Mom," I said, laughing.

My mom laughed in response. "I could say the same to you."

I laughed back at my mom. "When I'm not busy with my kids," I said.

"Kids?" my mom asked.

"Fuck," I muttered.

"Kids?" my mom repeated.

I rubbed the back of my neck in nervousness, a habit I had sort of picked up from Billie. "Yeah, I, uhm, kind of forgot to tell you that I'm pregnant again," I said hurriedly.

" _Forgot_?" my mom exclaimed.

"Heh..."

"Arizona, how do you _forget_ to tell someone you're pregnant?? I'm your _mother_ for Christ's sakes!!" she shrieked.

"Mom! Calm down!"

"How can I calm down, Arizona?? My 18-year-old daughter has a two-month-old daughter, and she's pregnant again!"

"Cadence is three months old, Mom. And I'm almost four weeks pregnant," I corrected her.

"Three months? I thought you had her in May."

"April sixteenth."

"Okay. So when is your next baby due?"

"February twenty-seventh."

"That's soon after Billie Joe's birthday," my mom remarked.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I know. It's okay, though. I was just happy I wasn't due right around Billie's birthday!"

My mom chuckled, too. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good thing, too. Alaska was born close to Aran's birthday, so his last birthday wasn't perfect, but he still said it was."

"That's what he's supposed to do, Mom. Besides, you just had Alaska. Of course he said it was perfect; she's adorable," I assured her.

"Thanks, sweetheart," she said, smiling.

I grinned back at her. "We've been up here for two hours and we haven't packed anything yet," I said.

My mom glanced back at the clock on my nightstand. "Well, moving out doesn't take an afternoon, Arizona. Even when you're only moving across the street."

"Well, yeah, this is true. And it takes even longer when both you and your mom have children under a year old."

"Alaska's almost a year old, can you believe it?" my mom asked.

"Really? How old is she now?"

"Ten months. She was born on September tenth."

"Wow. Time flies, huh?" I said.

My mom smiled. "Yeah. One moment my little girl is going off to her first day of school, the next she's married and has kids."

"Aw, Mom! You're gonna make me cry!" I exclaimed.

My mom laughed. "I'm just glad you're happy, Arizona. That's all I've ever wanted for you, no matter what that ever meant for me."

"Seriously, Mom, I wasn't kidding. But I appreciate that. And I'm glad you're happy again, too." I smiled at my mom, rubbing her shoulder lightly.

"Thank you, Arizona. Aran and Alaska are the best things that have ever happened to me since your father left us."

"Honestly, Mom, I almost never thought you would move on from Dad."

"There are times when I still think about your father, even now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I just wonder what he's doing with his life."

"You still wonder if he cares," I said.

My mom looked at me and was silent for a moment before she said, "I suppose."

"Don't try bullshitting me, Mom. I can tell you still care for Dad, and you wonder if he still cares for you," I told her.

She sighed. "I'll be right back." I snorted. Typical of my mother, I thought. I stood up and put Cadence back in her crib. I stood there for a moment, watching her move about in her crib. She looked at me, and I smiled. I felt someone else kneel on the edge of the crib, and I looked over. It was my mother, and I had to resist sighing out of disappointment. "Sorry, sweetheart," she said.

"For what?"

"Getting your hopes up." I laughed humorlessly and looked back down at Cadence. "He'll be back in a month."

"August twenty-fifth. He's not gonna be here for my birthday."

"Cadence will be. I will be. Aran and Ollie will be. The rest of the Armstrongs will be. Your friends will be, Ziera and Mary Jane."

I smiled lightly. "Yeah, thanks, Mom," I said, turning to her and hugging her.

She hugged me back, and when we pulled back, she was smiling. "Now why don't you pack some of the things in your closet in that box, and go take them over to Billie Joe's. Let Ollie know you'll be living there from now on."

"Mom, she already thinks I live there. She's thought that for a long time. She's even questioned why I don't have many of my things over there multiple times," I said.

"Well, this will just make it official, then." I smiled at my mom again. "Now, let's really get packing."

"Yeah! But can we eat first?" I asked.

My mom just laughed at me.


	42. FORTY-TWO

My mom was walking behind me with my daughter in her arms, because I was carrying her dismantled crib across the cul-de-sac. With the protruding wooden leg of the crib, I knocked on the Armstrong's door.

I heard my mom quietly cooing to Cadence while Ollie opened the door. "Arizona!"

"Hey, Ollie." I smiled at her.

"What do you have there?" The she noticed my mom and Cadence. "Oh, and you brought Nat and Cadence! How are you, Nattie?"

"I'm fine, Ollie. Well, as fine as I could be seeing my daughter move out," my mom answered.

Ollie chuckled. "She's in good hands here, Nat, you know that."

My mom nodded. "I know, it's just one of those mom things."

Ollie nodded now. "I have six kids, I've been through it five times. And I have to go through it one last time when Billie Joe finally moves out of this house." My mom chuckled. Ollie then turned to me. "So what's going on here?"

I smiled. "My mom kinda just told you," I said.

Ollie grinned. "I know, sweetheart, I was just teasing. David! Holly!" Two college-age-looking kids came meandering to the door. "Kids, I need you to help me get boxes from Arizona's house. We're bringing them over here."

"Okay, where are we putting them?" David asked.

Ollie turned to me. "I'll be in Billie's room setting up Cadence's crib, so just come by me and I'll tell you where you can put them," I said.

"Alright. Mom, lead the way!" Holly said enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit!" Ollie squeaked, then beckoned for her kids to follow.

When they had left, my mom turned to me. "You lead the way to Billie Joe's room, Arizona."

I smiled at her. "This way."

~***~

Many hours, many boxes, and many pitchers of lemonade later, all my boxes were in Billie's house. Of course, they weren't all unpacked; hardly any of them were. The only ones I had actually opened were the ones with my clothes and the couple with Cadence's stuff. Not even all the boxes were in Billie's bedroom! What was probably the majority were stacked in the back of the basement, and I felt bad for David, who sleeps there when he's home in the summer.

"Arizona!" I heard my mom call from the bottom of the stairs.

I stood up from the box I was unpacking and walked to the top of the stairs. "Yeah, Mom?" I called down to her. Her face was red, as if she'd been crying earlier.

"I'm going home. Aran has to go to work for a little while and we can't leave Alaska alone," she said thickly.

I smiled softly at her as I descended the staircase. "It'll be okay, Mom. I'm right across the street," I said as I enveloped her in a gentle hug.

I could feel more tears on my shoulder as my mom returned the hug. "Just remember that if you ever think that you have nowhere to go, you'll always have Aran, Alaska, and I."

I felt my eyes start to water. I pulled away from my mom and smiled at her again. "Of course, Mom," I said.

"I love you, Arizona."

"I love you, too, Mom. Now get going before you make Aran late!" I patted her shoulder.

"That's my girl," I heard her mumble as she walked out the door, smiling.

When she left, I turned to Ollie and smiled. "Well, Arizona, you're finally on your own now. How does it feel?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not on my own. Sure, I've left the nest, but I've been making my own nest for a while. And yeah, the nest is kinda empty at the moment, not to mention primitive, but this is finally me really building my own nest. So I'm never really gonna be on my own."

Ollie grinned. "You are quite ahead of your years, Arizona."

I grinned back at her. "I guess so, but I think that being a teenage mom has made me that way," I replied.

"By the way, Arizona," Ollie started, "If you need extra closet space for your clothes, because they shouldn't stay folded up in those boxes like that for too long, just ask and I'll make some space for you."

"Aw, thanks, Ollie!" I squeaked and enveloped her in a hug.

"No problem, kiddo." She winked. "I dunno about you, but I fancy a grilled cheese sandwich. How about you?"

"Could it be a grilled ham and cheese?" I asked.

"Of course, dear," Ollie said, walking into the kitchen.

~***~

A few days later, I came downstairs one morning to Ollie sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee watching a soap opera. I went and sat down next to her, trying to figure out what exactly was on TV.

It took her a moment to notice me. "Oh! Arizona! How long have you been sitting there?"

I chuckled. "A couple minutes."

"I apologize for not greeting you right away; sometimes I just get so into these soap operas." She set her cup down on the coffee table. "Would you like some breakfast?"

I smiled a little sleepily. "Yes, please."

Ollie picked her cup back up and stood. "What would you like?"

"What are you making?" I asked.

"Whatever you like, sweetheart," she said, and smiled.

I smiled back and thought for a moment. "How about an omelette?"

"Good idea! What would you like in it?"

"Cheese - lots of cheese - and...green peppers," I answered.

"Sounds delicious. Coming right up!" I heard Ollie set her cup on the kitchen counter and I stretched out on the couch, just laying there for a second.

I had set my phone on the coffee table, and I wasn't expecting it to ring. The glass of the coffee table amplified the sound of the ring, and I jumped, answering the phone without checking the ID to make it stop. "Hello?"

"Izzie!"

"Billie!" I shot upright.

"Hey, babe!"

"Hi! How are you?"

"Great, even though I didn't get sleep much last night."

"Aw, why?"

"We played what was probably the best show of our entire tour last night, so I was on this huge adrenaline rush, like, all night."

"That's awesome, Billie!" I settled into the couch cushions and pulled my knees to my chest.

"And how are you, babe?" he asked.

"Pretty good. Your mom makes me food all the time, so I can't complain." I laughed.

Billie chuckled. "My mom?"

"Oh, yeah, I moved into your house a couple days ago."

"Okay! I assume you and Cadence are in my room?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yep."

"How is Cadence?" Billie asked.

"She's good. She's asleep right now, because she was up a couple times last night, but she's good."

"Well, it sounds like everything is awesome back home," Billie said, and sighed. I giggled quietly. "How are you and the other one?"

I giggled again. "Good so far. I mean, there hasn't been much time for much to happen, but it's been pretty uneventful so far."

"Well alright. Hey, listen, babe, the guys and I have to get cleaned up and ready for tonight's show, so I gotta go."

"Okay. You have fun tonight!"

"I will! You take care of yourself now, sweetheart. I'll be home in a few weeks. I love you, Arizona."

I grinned. "I can't wait. I love you, too, Billie Joe."

"Bye, love."

"Bye." With a small click, I heard my husband hang up. I placed my phone back on the coffee table and sat back, grinning widely. I closed my eyes for a minute and just imagined the day when Billie comes home at the end of August.

"Arizona?" I heard Ollie call. I opened my eyes and turned around to look at her. She had a plate in her hand, and the contents were steaming.

Mouth watering, I sprang up from the couch and sat down at the kitchen table. "Thanks, Ollie, this looks great!" I picked up my fork and twirled it around with my fingers while I waited for Ollie to sit.

"Oh, you didn't have to wait for me, dear," she said as she sat.

I smiled. "It's habit. I would always wait for my mom to come sit down at home when she made dinner after she came home from work."

Ollie smiled back at me and picked up her fork. "Well that's very sweet of you."

I didn't say anything and just took a bite of my omelette. "This is great, Ollie, thank you so much."

She smiled again. "I'm glad you like it and it's no problem. You're part of the family now, Arizona, I'm more than happy to." There were a few moments of omelette-eating silence, until Ollie said, "I was listening to you on the phone with Billie Joe."

I looked at her. "Oh?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't help but notice how happy you sounded."

I grinned, and I could feel my cheeks flare a light shade of pink. "We haven't spoken in a little while," I said.

"He doesn't call often?" Ollie asked.

I shook my head. "Not really. I mean, it's about once every other week," I answered.

"And you're okay with that?"

"Well yeah. I mean, he's on tour with his band, the other members of which are basically his best friends. And I know Mike and Tre have Zie and Mary Jane, Zie is even pregnant now, but we're all the same way. We know our men are busy and out playing shows and having fun. We know they weren't gonna call us all the time, even if they said they would when they left. And I think that the guys kinda figured that out within the first couple weeks, so it kinda became a mutual acceptance of the fact that we weren't always gonna be in constant contact."

Ollie didn't respond right away; she just sat and stared at me for a good few minutes. I was about to prompt her to say something, when she set down her coffee cup that she had been holding and looked back up at me, like she was finally going to speak. "When Billie Joe told me he had a girlfriend, I immediately wondered not only who she was, but what kind of person she was," she began quietly. She then sat back, smiling lightly, her hands clasped across her stomach. "So when I met you, I was very surprised. Pleasantly surprised, of course, but surprised nonetheless." I smiled. "Honestly, I didn't think Billie Joe was capable of finding a girl that was so perfect for him so early in life.

"I thought that he was going to go to college, have fun, do well, get a degree, get a good job, and maybe date a few girls along the way before finally finding that right girl and settling down. But his father gave him that guitar when he was still pretty young and impressionable, and I knew when Billie first held it and put it across his lap to strum it for the first time that he wasn't going to college, and he wasn't going to do any of the things that I thought he was going to do. And after seeing him so passionate about what he does, I knew that I was going to be okay with that whatever he did do. And look at him now! He's out traveling the country, playing his music, living his passion!" Ollie paused for a moment. "That's all I've ever wanted for him; it's all I've ever wanted for all my kids. I've wanted them to do something that they love and find someone that they love and will love them back."

I waited for a minute to speak to make sure that Ollie was finished speaking. "Sometimes we find that what we think of people and what they're going to do is completely different from what they actually do."

Ollie looked up at me. "Do you remember when I said that you're quite ahead of your years, Arizona?" she asked.

I smiled lightly. "Yes, what about it?"

"It just becomes truer with every word I've heard you say since you came here." She grinned.

I just grinned back at her and thought of how I had never planned for any of this to happen in my life - meeting a guy like Billie Joe, falling so in love, getting married, having children all by eighteen - but how I wouldn't have it any other way.


	43. FORTY-THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Day is coming home!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is August 25, 2011.

I was hardly able to sleep last night. The excitement of knowing that my husband was coming home from his two-month tour across the country kept me up until three o'clock this morning. I think it was my new little one that finally allowed me to fall asleep. I think I was already tired when I put myself to bed around midnight, but just the knowledge of the fact that I was seeing husband after two months apart kept me awake. I just didn't expect being awake for an extra three hours.

I had no idea what time it was when I felt myself being shook awake, but I just groaned loudly into my pillow. Ollie had the habit all summer of waking me up at some early afternoon hour so I wouldn't be up all night, regardless of what time I fell asleep the previous night. I rolled over when I felt myself being shaken awake again, and groaned again. In my half-awake state, I heard light laughter, and it was deeper than Ollie's. A lot deeper.

Remembering what today was as I became more awake, my eyes flew open and a huge grin found its way onto my face. I rolled back over slowly, hoping the laughter belonged to whom I thought it belonged to, and whom I hoped was standing over my bed.

I saw feet. Converse-clad feet. The sneakers were black and tattered, just like my husband's, and they had a heart drawn in black Sharpie on the rubber on the tip of the left shoe. I had drawn that there, I remembered, and I looked up to the face that belonged to the feet. "Billie!" I squealed.

He grinned widely. "Hi, sweetheart." He held out his arms and I shot up out of bed and flung my arms around his neck. I squeezed him as tight as I could to me, and was not planning on letting him go for a very, very long time. And Billie didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around me in return, tight enough, I noticed, to not completely squish my belly region, even though I wasn't showing yet. Thinking about it, though, I was due to start showing soon.

When Billie and I pulled apart from each other, he looked me straight in the eye, took my face in his hands so gently I hardly even felt they were there, and firmly pressed his lips to mine. Kissing me like this for a good five minutes, I almost fell out of bed when he pulled away. I pouted and made a small noise of disapproval, and Billie just chuckled and kissed me once. He took his hands away from my face and instead took my hands. "I'll be right back, love. I was able to sneak past my mom because she was too busy mauling Mike and Tre when they came in the house, so she hasn't seen me yet."

I giggled. "That's just like you, Billie. Why don't I come downstairs?" I suggested.

Billie shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not done spending time with you," he said.

I grinned and pecked his lips. "Okay. But while you're down there being mauled, why don't you send Mike and Tre up? I'd like to see them too!" I suggested again.

Billie smiled. "Of course, love." He walked out and I heard him head down the stairs.

"Billie Joe, there you are! Have you been avoiding me?" I heard Ollie yell. I laughed and saw another figure stand in my doorway.

"Hiya!" I looked up to see Tre standing there.

"Hi!" He walked over to me and enveloped me in a spine-crushing hug. "Careful, careful!" I warned.

"Why's that?" Tre asked.

"I don't know if Billie's told you yet, but I'm pregnant again," I explained briefly.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry!" Tre exclaimed, backing away from me.

"You dumbass, you're fine. Come back over here and hug me!" I said, beckoning to him. He grinned and walked back up to me, hugging me again, but just not as tightly. When he pulled away, I looked up to see Mike standing in the doorway. "Hey, you!" I said.

"Hey, you," Mike said back, smiling.

I laughed and held out my arms. "C'mere. I'm not leaving you out."

He smiled a little wider and walked up to hug me. "Why was Tre swearing?" he asked.

I laughed again. "Oh, because I told him not to squish me."

"Why would squishing you be a bad thing?" Mike asked.

"I'm pregnant again," I said simply.

"Hey, congrats," Mike said, smiling.

"Thanks. Now have you boys seen your women yet?" I asked.

Tre shook his head. "We all came back here first because we keep all our equipment here at Billie's."

I gestured toward the door. "Well go on! Go find them! I bet they're as eager as I was to see their men again!" I yelled. Mike chuckled and beckoned to Tre. "Oh, and Tre," I called. He looked back at me. "Congrats on your kid."

He grinned widely. "Thanks! I'm assuming she told you and Mary Jane first?"

I nodded. "She didn't know how to tell you. And she was in the same predicament I found myself in two months ago. She didn't want to tell you right as you were leaving us all for two months."

"Women," Tre said, shaking his head.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I know, right? Now go on!"

"Alright, alright! Ollie invited us back for dinner, so we'll be back later on."

"Okay. See you guys tonight."

"Later, Arizona," Mike called as him and Tre left my room, only to be replaced by my husband, whom I saw was standing in the hallway.

"Hey, babe," he said, walking back in and closing the door behind him.

"Hi, love," I said back to him, watching him close the door.

"So," Billie began. "Two months."

I smiled. "Yeah, long time."

"Definitely. We've all gone two months without so much as a kiss from any of our women," Billie remarked.

I giggled. I was pretty sure I knew what he was getting at. "Billie," I said. He cocked an eyebrow. "You just got back, like, half an hour ago."

He sighed. "Dammit, you figured me out. Can you blame me, though? I mean, you're fucking gorgeous, and you get even more so when you're pregnant."

I raised an eyebrow this time. "You think so?" I asked.

Billie nodded vigorously. "Oh yes."

"Well, before we do anything insane, come meet your new...offspring," I said.

He laughed. "Offspring?"

"I couldn't think of a better word, since I don't know the sex yet."

"And we won't for a while, it seems," Billie observed, looking down at my belly and its lack of roundness.

"Yeah, I'm only about two months," I said.

Billie looked up at me. "Well I think it's time I said hello." I giggled and watched as Billie crouched down to be eye level with my belly. I lifted my shirt up and held the ends around the middle of my back. His hands were warm as I felt them on my belly, and he gently caressed the slight roundness. "Hey," he said quietly. "Can you hear me in there?" I watched as he mockingly knocked softly on my belly, and I giggled. I saw Billie smile as he said, "Well, if you can, I'm saying hi. I'm your daddy. I can't wait to meet you." He kissed my belly and then looked up at me. "I'm already excited," he said.

I giggled again. "I am, too. Do you want a boy or a girl this time?"

Standing, Billie shrugged. "It doesn't really matter that much to me. I mean, I love our daughter, she's beautiful," - Billie kissed me briefly - "and I think she's going to be a fantastic little girl, but it doesn't matter that much to me whether we have a son or another daughter."

"Yeah?" I asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Billie said, nodding. "Like, having a son would be awesome, because I would get to teach him to play catch when he's little and have him come to me about girls when he's older, but I would be perfectly okay with a second daughter, because having Cadence has made me realize that I love being a dad, and that the best is yet to come, and I honestly don't care if we have a bunch more kids and they're all girls."

"Really?" I asked quietly, my eyes starting to water.

Billie took my face in his hands again and looked me straight in the eye as he said, "Yes, Arizona, really. I love being a father, it doesn't matter who my kids are."

"Billie, I love you," I said.

He laughed. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that."

"I always tell you," I said, slightly confused.

"Yeah, I know, but I meant in person. Like, you kneeling on your bed in front of me telling me you love me for the first time in two months is just frankly the best feeling in the world right now." And with that, I flung my arms back around Billie's neck and began to cry. "Baby, don't cry!" Billie exclaimed, pulling me away from him.

"But I'm just so happy," I muttered, smiling as Billie wiped my tears off my cheeks with the pad of his thumb.

"And I'm happy, too, love. Happier than I have been in the past two months." I grinned. "This is literally perfect," Billie said. "I have a beautiful daughter, an amazingly gorgeous wife, and another kid on the way. Yeah, I still live with my mom, but I'm working on changing that."

"You mean we'll finally have our own place and won't need to worry about waking anyone up when we fuck in the middle of the night?" I asked eagerly.

Billie laughed loudly and kissed me. "Yes," he said when he pulled away. "No worries except for maybe the neighbors."

I laughed and sniffled. "I love you, Billie. I'm so glad you're home."

Billie grinned and pulled me back into a hug. "I love you, too, Arizona, and I'm glad too."

"Kiss me?" I asked. Billie grinned again, widely, and I saw a gleam of something in his eye right before his lips attacked mine.

I squealed as the force of the kiss knocked me back down onto my bed.


	44. FORTY-FOUR

"So you're not gonna leave again for a while, right?" I asked.

Billie hugged me close to his chest and I knew he was smiling. "No, love, I'm gonna be right here with you, Cadence, and our other little one for a while," he said. He turned on his side and placed a soft hand on my belly. "Are you excited?" he asked, quieter.

I smiled and kissed his nose. "Of course I am! Carrying Cadence was easy, and I'm sure that this baby won't be any trouble either."

Billie grinned and kissed me sweetly. "That's a great attitude to have, love."

"Are _you_ excited?" I asked, giggling.

Billie continued to smile. "Definitely. I love you and Cadence so much, it was so terrible being away from you two, but I did have a lot of fun with the guys and just being on tour. Our fans are amazing! I can't believe there are so many of them!" he exclaimed.

I giggled again and pecked his lips. "You're so cute! I missed you a lot too, but I'm also glad you had fun. I think the missing you and the you not being here are the worst parts."

"Speaking of Cadence," Billie said, spontaneously changing the subject slightly, "I don't think I've seen her since I've been home!"

I sat up and stretched. "Well, I think we should go fix that." I got off the bed, arched my back, and helped Billie stand up. I stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek quickly before taking his hand and leading him down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Billie asked. "I saw Cadence's crib in my room."

"Your mom has her for a little bit," I said, releasing his hand and lightly knocking on the closed door of Ollie's bedroom.

"Hello?" she called.

I cracked the door. "Hey, Ollie, it's just me."

She looked over at me. "Oh, hi, Arizona. What's up?"

"I have Billie with me," I said, opening to door to show him behind me."

"Hi, sweetheart!" she exclaimed. I looked back at him and saw him smile.

"We were just talking and he said that he doesn't think he's seen much of Cadence since he returned, so I was wondering if I could have her back for a little while," I explained.

Ollie smiled widely and adjusted my daughter in her arms. "Of course, dear." She carefully stood up and walked over to me. I let go of the doorknob and took Cadence as Ollie gave her to me. I smiled at her and she giggled her adorable baby giggle.

"Thanks, Ollie."

"No problem, dear." There was a short pause, then Ollie said, "I'm not sure what to make for dinner tonight. What would you kids like?"

I heard Billie chuckle quietly. "You know I don't really care, Mom," he said.

"So what about you, sweetheart?" she said, turning to me.

I smiled and bounced Cadence lightly. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not very picky either, especially being pregnant."

Ollie smiled. "Alright then, you two are no help," she joked. "I guess I'll go poll the rest of the house." She shut off her television, stretched a little, and walked past us and down the stairs.

I turned around, in the direction of Billie's room, and nodded to him to walk back down the hallway. I went slow, cooing and smiling at Cadence as I walked. When we reached his room again, Billie shut the door behind me and I sat down on the edge of his bed. "Well come on, Billie!" I said.

He smiled and sat down next to me. I handed Cadence over to him and his smile grew ever bigger. "Hey, there," I heard him say quietly. I smiled. I just sat there watching him cuddle our daughter, and then she started to whine. "Okay, okay," he said, and handed Cadence back to me.

When she was done suckling, she was much quieter. Knowing her patterns, I stood up and walked over to her crib. When I placed her down, I beckoned Billie over. He smiled and came over next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. We just stood there and watched our little baby, quickly falling asleep with her full belly.

"Look at us, Arizona," Billie said quietly. I just smiled and nuzzled my face into Billie's shoulder. "Look at our beautiful little family. It's so perfect. Just you me, and our child, soon to be children." Billie then turned my face to his and looked my right in the eye. "I love you, Arizona."

I grinned and kissed Billie sweetly. "I love you too, Billie."


	45. FORTY-FIVE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family reunion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is August 28, 2011.

"I'm heading out to the store," Ollie called out as she walked into the living room.  Billie and I looked up at her as she walked in.  "Billie, your siblings are going to be here tonight for dinner, what do you think I should make for us all?" she asked.  
  
Billie's eyes widened.  "All of them?"  Ollie nodded.  "Shit, Mom, I think you failed to mention it was family dinner night," he whined.  
  
Ollie gave him a look and I chuckled.  "Quit your whining, Billie, you know family dinners only happen once a month.  Now I need to go out and get all the ingredients so I can have dinner ready in time for everyone to get here, so what should I cook?" she repeated.  
  
Billie sighed and looked back at the television.  "You know I don't care, Mom, I eat whatever," he said.  
  
"It's a good thing you just got back from gallivanting across the country, or else I would be more inclined to..."  
  
"To what, Mom?"  
  
Ollie sighed.  "I'm not sure, but at least it sounded threatening."  She looked over at me.  "Maybe _you_ could tell me what to cook for my family?"  
  
I giggled.  "Uhm, well my mom would always cook pork chops whenever Aran would come over when they first started dating," I answered.  
  
Ollie thought for a moment.  "Sounds delicious," she said.  "Now what to accompany it?"  
  
"I always think mashed potatoes go well with pork chops," I answered.  
  
"And mashed potatoes necessitate peas," Ollie said, smiling.  
  
I smiled back at her.  "Yes!"  
  
"Perfect!  I'll be back in a little bit.  Billie, if the doorbell rings, it's probably one of your siblings, so please answer the door," she said.  
  
"Yeah, Mom," Billie said, not even looking up from the television.  We heard the front door shut and a few moments later, Billie looked at me.  He had a twinkle in his eye, and I knew exactly what was about to happen.  
  
He took me in his arms and violently pressed his face against mine, his hand immediately on the back of my head, pressing my face even closer to his.  When I finally managed to pull away, I took a deep breath and laughed, kissing him much lighter.  "You're crazy, Billie Joe."  
  
He grinned.  "I know, but you still love me."  
  
"The only safe assumption you can make, love," I replied.  
  
He laughed and kissed me again, passionately this time.  I smiled and snuggled into his lap, and Billie moved to change the channel on the television, but then the doorbell rang.  Billie sighed and I looked at him with raised eyebrows.  "You go answer it," he said.  
  
"Why me?" I asked incredulously.  "I don't know which one of your siblings is at the door, it could be one I've never met before!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"I'm in no state to make a good first impression," I argued.  
  
Billie laughed and took my face in his hands, kissing me.  He was smiling when he pulled away.  "Izzie, babe, you're gorgeous all the time.  Whoever is at that door is going to think you're gorgeous, too, regardless of how you look."  
  
I smiled and pecked his lips.  "I love you so much."  
  
He smiled back at me.  "I love you, too, sweetheart."  The doorbell rang again.  "Now go answer the door!  I don't want them to think that we're not being courteous."  I giggled and stood up, straightening my shirt as I walked to the door.  
  
The doorbell rang a third time, impatiently, just as I reached the door.  I opened it and a tall, dark-haired man was standing at the door with a shorter, blonde woman and a small child who looked no older than five.  "Hello, I'm Arizona, Billie Joe's wife," I said, extending my hand in greeting.  
  
The man shook it, then the woman, and the child shied away behind his mother's leg.  "I've heard so much about you from my mother.  I'm Alan, Billie Joe's oldest brother.  This is my wife, Sara, and our son, Andrew."  
  
"It's very nice to meet you.  Ollie is out getting groceries for dinner tonight, so right now it's just Billie Joe, myself, and our daughter," I said.  
  
"You have children already?" Alan asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
I smiled.  "Yes.  Why don't you come in?  We can talk more, and you can see Billie Joe," I suggested.  
  
Alan nodded.  "Ah yes."  
  
I stood aside to let the family inside.  "Billie Joe, Alan is here!" I called to him.  
  
About a minute later, Billie came rushing into the foyer and him and Alan embraced each other in a huge hug.  "Hey, biggest bro," he said.  I chuckled.  
  
"Hey, littlest bro," Alan said back.  "You've been busy, eh?" he asked, winking.  
  
We all laughed.  "Yeah, man, life," Billie answered.  "Come on through, you want something to drink?  Oh, this must be your wife.  Hi, I'm Billie Joe."  
  
"Sara," she answered.  "And this is our son, Andrew."  
  
Billie grinned and bent down to Andrew's level.  "Hey, little man.  I'm your Uncle Billie."  
  
Andrew came out tentatively from behind Sara's leg.  "Hi."  
  
"How old are you, Andrew?"  Andrew held up five fingers.  "Five, wow!  You're a big boy!" Billie exclaimed.  Andrew smiled lightly, and I grinned.  
  
As Billie took his eldest brother into the living room, the doorbell rang again.  "I'll get it!" I called.  I walked back over to the door and opened it again.  There was another man at the door, this one looking a lot younger than Alan, but not much older than Billie.  "Hi, you must be David.  I'm Arizona, I'm pretty sure we've met before," I said, smiling.  
  
He smiled back.  "I remember you.  I'm not sure we were properly introduced.  I'm David, Billie Joe's youngest brother."  He stuck out his hand.  
  
I shook the hand David had stuck out.  "I'm Arizona, Billie Joe's wife."  
  
"He sure gets around, doesn't he?"  
  
I laughed.  "Come on inside, Alan just got here with his wife and son."  
  
"Great!  Is anyone else here yet?"  
  
I shook my head.  "You're the second to arrive."  
  
"Awesome!  Thanks!" he called as he stepped into the living room.  There were more calls of greeting and hugs exchanged as I slowly followed David, sure the doorbell would ring again soon.  
  
"So Arizona told me you already have a daughter, eh, Billie?" Alan asked.  
  
Billie grinned.  "Yeah."  He saw me in the archway.  "Arizona, would you go bring Cadence down?"  
  
I grinned back at him.  "Of course, love."  I returned a few minutes later with my daughter in my arms.  
  
As I brought her into the room, Sara came scurrying up to me and bent down to Cadence.  "She's beautiful," she said quietly.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"How old is she?"  
  
"Four months."  
  
"She's beautiful," Sara repeated.  
  
"Thank you," I repeated, smiling.  I heard the doorbell ring again.  "Billie, can you take Cadence?  I just heard the doorbell ring again."  
  
"Sure, sweetheart."  Billie came over to me and took our daughter into his arms, bouncing her as she shifted.  I kissed him sweetly as I walked back to the door.  
  
When I opened the door again, there was a tall, dark-haired woman standing at the door with an equally tall, dark-haired man.  "Hi, I'm Arizona, Billie Joe's wife," I said, extending my hand.  
  
The woman smiled at me.  "Hi, I'm Anna, Billie Joe's oldest sister, and this is my husband, Steven."  
  
"Please, come in, Alan and David have already arrived."  
  
"Wonderful!  Are they in the living room right through here?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, just this way," I said, stepping aside to let them in.  I walked into the living room and knocked on the archway.  "I've got someone else!" I called into the noisy room.  Everyone looked up to Anna and her husband, and there were more calls of greeting and hugs exchanged all around.  I wormed my way through to Billie Joe, who was still holding Cadence.  "Hey."  
  
"Hello, love," Billie said, kissing me sweetly.  I grinned at him.  "What did I tell you?  While you were letting Anna in, David was telling me how beautiful he thinks you are."  
  
I blushed lightly and Billie kissed my cheek.  I giggled as the doorbell rang again.  "Why don't you take Cadence back up to her room while I answer the door?" I suggested.  Billie nodded and we both walked towards the door, Billie heading up the stairs instead.  When I opened the door, another woman was at the door.  She looked like she was just a few inches taller than me, and she was holding a baby carrier.  "Hi, I'm Arizona, Billie Joe's wife," I said, holding out my hand.  
  
The woman smiled at me and switched the baby carrier over to her other hand to shake mine.  "I remember you.  I saw you in the garage last summer with Billie Joe when he was playing his guitar.  I'm Holly, Billie Joe's sister, and this is my son, Charlie." she said, pointing to her baby carrier.  
  
"Well please come in.  Everyone is here except for the last sibling and Ollie," I said, stepping aside to let her in.  
  
"I'll bet we're waiting for David.  He's always late," Holly joked.  
  
I smiled.  "Actually, David was one of the first here."  
  
"Really?  That's a first."  
  
Billie Joe came down the stairs when I was leading Holly and her young son into the living room, and Billie exclaimed, "Holly!"  
  
She turned to see Billie on the stairs.  "Billie Joe!"  She set her carrier down and gave him a large hug.  They were both grinning when she picked her carrier back up and went into the living room.  I was about to follow them when the doorbell rang again.  
  
I went to open it, expecting to see another unfamiliar woman standing at the door with a husband and possibly children, but in fact, it was Ollie, laden with large paper grocery bags.  "Ollie!" I exclaimed.  
  
"Hello, Arizona!  Is everyone here yet?" she asked.  
  
"No, we're still waiting on one of your daughters," I answered.  
  
"David's already here?" she asked.  
  
I laughed.  "Yes, he was one of the first here.  Why do I get the impression that he is the butt of a lot of jokes in this family?"  
  
"He's pretty much famous for being late in this family," Ollie answered, chuckling lightly.  "Now, I don't want you to strain yourself, so could you just hold the door open as I bring the groceries in?"  
  
"Of course.  Try not to get mauled when you walk through the living room," I advised, smiling.  
  
Ollie laughed.  "I'll be fine, sweetheart."  
  
On Ollie's return to her car, I saw another car park in the street next to the Armstrong's driveway.  I saw a dark-haired woman step out with a young girl, who looked between the ages of seven and ten.  She took the girl's hand and they walked up to the door confidently.  Ollie came up behind me as the woman and the girl got up to the door, and the girl exclaimed, "Grandma!"  
  
"Samantha!" Ollie exclaimed back.  "I'm bringing in groceries, sweetheart, so why don't you say hello to your Aunt Arizona, and you can go say hello to your other uncles and aunts, too?"  
  
"Okay!" the girl squeaked.  
  
"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you, dear," Ollie murmured to the woman, who smiled as Ollie walked back out to her car.  
  
"Hi, I'm Arizona, Billie Joe's wife," I said quietly, smiling at the woman.  
  
She grinned back at me.  "I'm Marcy, Billie Joe's sister, and this is my daughter, Samantha."  
  
"Hi, sweetheart," I said to her, smiling.  
  
"Hi!" she replied.  
  
"How old are you, sweetheart?"  She let go of her mom's hand to hold up eight fingers.  "Eight, wow, you're a big girl," I said.  She just nodded proudly at me.  I looked up to Marcy.  "Come on in, everyone else is already here."  
  
"Even David made it here before me?"  
  
I laughed.  "Yes, he was one of the first ones here."  
  
"Well that's a first."  
  
~***~  
  
"This was a delicious idea, Mom," David said, spearing another piece of his pork chop with his fork.  
  
"Actually, the pork chops were Arizona's idea," Ollie replied, pointing at me with her fork before she scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes.  
  
"This was a delicious idea, Arizona," David repeated.  
  
I laughed.  "Thanks, David," I said, taking a sip of my ginger ale.  
  
"What's for dessert, Mom?" Billie Joe asked through a mouthful of potatoes and peas.  
  
Ollie chuckled.  "I bought a bottle of wine for us adults, but I have a small ice cream cake for Arizona and the little ones."  
  
"No wine for you, Arizona?" Alan asked.  
  
I smiled.  "I'm pregnant."  
  
"So soon after the birth of your first child?" asked Holly.  
  
"It wasn't planned."  
  
"So how far along are you now?" Marcy asked.  
  
"About 10 weeks," I answered.  
  
"Wow, congratulations," Holly said.  
  
"Thank you," I said, smiling.


	46. FORTY-SIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current story date is November 29, 2011.

"Billie, I still can't believe you did this," I said to him again, as we pulled into the unfamiliar driveway.  
  
He smiled at me and leaned over the gearshift to kiss me. I smiled back at me as he pulled back, and he said, "It was sooner rather than later, love." He then got out of the car and came around to my door to help me out.  
  
He took my hand and helped me out of his car. "Babe," I said, "We still would have enough room in your house now that Holly and David left for school."  
  
Billie shut the car door behind me and locked it, stuffing the keys in his back pocket. He opened the back door and pulled Cadence's car seat out. He held her up to me, and I took her out and into my arms. I smiled at her and then looked back up at Billie, remembering that he still had to reply. "Yeah, but once you have our second child, we would be back in the same situation as when we first had Cadence," he said.  
  
I chuckled at him. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So when is the moving truck getting here? I know you don't know this, but being five months pregnant takes a bit of a toll on your feet."  
  
He chuckled back at me and kissed my forehead. "If you want, you can sit in the car until it gets here. I'll leave the door open," he said.  
  
"If I really get desperate for a seat, then yes. Otherwise, I'll just keep standing." Billie chuckled at me again. "Hey, why don't you take Cadence, and I'll go get the keys to our apartment. At least I'll make myself useful," I suggested.  
  
Billie smiled as he walked over and took Cadence from me. "Sounds like a great idea," he said, kissing me lightly as I lumbered over to the apartment building entrance.  
  
When I entered the building, I started towards the reception desk. There was a red-haired twenty-something sitting behind the desk, loudly popping bubble gum. When I approached the counter, I rapped loudly on the wood to get her attention, seeing the pair of earphones she was wearing. She looked up at me with an annoyed expression, and took out an earphone. "Yeah?"  
  
I gave her a disapproving look, and gracefully masked a sigh as a deep breath before saying, "Hi. I'm one of the new tenants of apartment 392. I'm here to pick up the keys."  
  
The girl just popped her gum at me for a few moments, looking me over, before turning to the large wall of keys behind an even larger pane of glass that sat behind her. She took the keys off the desk and went over the large wall; she unlocked the glass pane and took down the keys to our apartment, then locked the glass pane again. "Here," she said, dropping the keys on the counter and turning back to her computer screen, the earphone returning.  
  
"Thanks," I muttered nastily, grabbing the keys off the desk.  
  
When I returned to Billie, there was a large moving truck with two muscular grunts standing at the open back. "Hey, babe, did you get the keys?" Billie called as I approached. I wiggled them on my finger. "Great!" He quieted down as I came closer. "The movers are anxious to get our shit inside, and so am I. Your ultrasound appointment is tomorrow, so I don't want to be up all night arranging our furniture!"  
  
I squeaked and kissed Billie's cheek. "I'll head upstairs and direct the furniture, then," I said, smiling and walking back to the apartment building entrance.  
  
~***~  
  
"Are you ready?" the cheerful ultrasound technician asked me. I smiled and nodded at her, glancing up at Billie. I held my hand out out to him and he took it briefly, squeezing it.  
  
The tech squeezed the blue jelly onto my enlarged stomach and rubbed it around with the mouse-like viewer. When she started to look for the baby, she smiled and turned to me. "There's your baby."  
  
"Oh, Billie, look!" I breathed, grinning over at him. He grinned back at me.  
  
"Would you like to know the sex?" the tech asked.  
  
"Yes, please!"  
  
She smiled at me. "You're having a daughter."  
  
"Billie!" I squealed.  
  
"Arizona, this is amazing!" Billie told me, leaning down to kiss me.  
  
The tech wiped the jelly off my stomach, and grinned at the pair of us. "Congratulations. We'll see you back here in about two months." She then turned off the machine, and left the room.  
  
I looked up at Billie. "Billie!" I squealed again.  
  
He laughed and pulled me into a tight hug; when we broke apart, he kissed me passionately. "I love you so much, Arizona. You are so amazing."  
  
I grinned at him. "I love you, too, Billie. And _we_ are amazing," I replied.


	47. FORTY-SEVEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arizona and Morgana.

"Billie, sweetheart?" I called through the apartment.  
  
He poked his head around the corner leading to the bedroom.  I could see his hair was wet, and he wasn't wearing a shirt.  "Yeah?" he replied.  
  
"I'm going out to meet my stepmom for lunch," I said to him.  I walked over to him and kissed him.  
  
"Your stepmom?  You could just say Ollie," he said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
I chuckled and kissed him again.  "Good thing you're cute.  When you were on tour, I met up with my biological father, and his new wife - my _other_ stepmom," I explained quickly.  
  
Billie kissed me this time, and I grinned at me.  "That's awesome, babe.  You have fun; I'll take care of Cadence," he said.  
  
"Thank you so much, Billie.  I love you!"  
  
He grinned at me.  "I love you too!"  
  
I hopped into the other room to kiss Cadence.  "Goodbye, sweetheart," I whispered.  
  
I closed the door to the apartment and walked out with a smile on my face.  Morgana and I are going to have so much to talk about.  
  
~***~  
  
"Arizona!" I heard.  I whipped my head around to see the source of the call, and saw a blond-haired woman waving at me.  I smiled and waved back; as I walked up to her, she said, "Hey!  Glad you found the place okay!  Now don't worry about anything, I have it all covered."  
  
"Oh, Morgana, I couldn't let you-"  
  
"No, really, Arizona, I insist!"  
  
I sighed and smiled at Morgana again.  "Oh, alright.  So what's good here on this menu?  I'm starving!"  
  
"Well, I don't come here terribly often, but my girlfriends tell me that the pecan-crusted salmon is exquisite, and white wine goes beautifully, but you won't be drinking, of course.  Oh, why don't you sit down!" Morgana gushed.  
  
I laughed as I sat.  "Morgana, calm down!  I'm really not a prize to be gushed over or anything."  
  
Morgana chuckled nervously as she sat down next to me, and then said, with her wine glass in her hand, "Well, that may be true, but I bet that husband of yours thinks so!"  She took a sip of her wine and set the glass down.  I absentmindedly wondered what number glass that was, and then thought that I didn't have to worry, but then brushed the thought off and concentrated on the waitress that was standing next to the table.  
  
"Can I start you off with something to drink?" she asked me.  
  
"Just a glass of water, please."  
  
"Sure."  She turned to Morgana.  "Would you like another glass of wine?"  
  
"Oh, yes, please."  
  
With her pen poised, she looked at both Morgana and I and said, "Are you two ready to order?"  
  
"Y'know, I haven't peeked at the menu yet.  Do you mind giving us a minute?"  
  
The waitress smiled and tucked her pen and pad away.  "Of course.  I'll be right out with your drinks."  
  
I smiled at her as she walked away, and then picked up the menu.  "Hmm...is there anything else here that you recommend, Morgana?"  
  
"I've only been here a few times myself, so I'm not much in a position to speak on the subject."  She put down her menu and emptied her wine glass.  "I think I'm going to try that pecan-crusted salmon my girlfriends recommended."  
  
I smiled and looked at her over my menu.  "It really does sound good, but I don't think the baby likes seafood.  Every time I've had it, either at home or out, I would always get stomachaches."  I looked back over the menu and smiled again.  "I do think that this beef stir-fry would be delicious, though."  
  
"What's in it?" Morgana asked.  
  
"Well, aside from the beef, there's green and red peppers and caramelized onions, all over a bed of white rice," I answered, putting the menu down.  
  
"Oh my, that _does_ sound delicious."  She noticed that I had put my menu down.  "Is that what you've decided on?"  
  
I nodded.  I then saw our waitress returning out of the corner of my eye.  "Perfect timing, too," I remarked as she approached the table.  
  
She set down a glass of water on front of me.  "Here's your water," she said.  I smiled at her in thanks and then she turned to Morgana, picking up a tall wine bottle with a cloth.  As she poured, she asked, "So what can I get you?"  She pulled out her pen and pad after she had set the wine bottle back on the tray.  
  
Morgana went first.  "I'm going to have the pecan-crusted salmon, please, with mashed sweet potatoes."  
  
"Alright," the waitress said, scribbling.  She then turned to me.  "And what will you have, miss?"  
  
"I'm going to have the beef stir-fry, please," I said, taking Morgana's menu from across the table and placing it on top of mine.  
  
"Alright," the waitress said with a smile, sticking her pad back in her belt and taking our menus under her arm.  "Your food will be out in a few moments."  
  
"So, you said you were married when I met you with Everett?" Morgana asked.  
  
I grinned.  "Yes," I said.  "I've been married nine months."  
  
"Well, congratulations."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"And we saw your daughter before, too?"  
  
"Yes, her name is Cadence.  She's eight months old."  
  
"Wow, so you gave birth basically right after you got married?" Morgana asked incredulously.  
  
I grinned again.  "Yeah, it was a pretty exciting couple of months."  
  
Morgana gestured towards my belly.  "And you're pregnant again, of course."  
  
I waved the hand that was on my belly.  "Yep."  
  
"Do you know the sex yet?"  
  
"Yeah, we're having another girl."  
  
"Congratulations.  Have you thought of any names yet?"  
  
"No, we just figured out the sex a couple days ago, so we haven't had much time to think about it."  
  
Morgana nodded.  "I see.  So what does your husband do?"  
  
I took a sip of my water.  "He's in a band."  
  
"Oh, really?  What kind of band?"  
  
"A punk-rock band."  
  
"Ah, I probably wouldn't know it then.  I'm much more into classical and jazz music.  My daughter might know who they are.  She's very much into the rock scene.  Are they local?"  
  
"Yes, Billie grew up around here."  
  
"Is that your husband's name?"  
  
I chuckled.  "Oh, yes, his name is Billie Joe.  No one really calls him that, though, so it's just Billie."  
  
"That's certainly different.  Will you be bringing him to the wedding?"  
  
"Your daughter's?  Yes.  I might be bringing Cadence, but I'm not sure yet."  
  
"Well, you have some time to think on it.  I will tell you, though, my daughter has been very uptight about everything that has to do with her wedding, so if you think Cadence will cause any problems at all, have someone look after her," Morgana suggested.  
  
I chuckled.  "Alright, I'm sure my mom won't mind looking after her for the day."  
  
~***~  
  
"Well thank you for the delicious lunch, Morgana," I said as we left.  
  
"Of course, Arizona!  It was great to have some time to talk and get to know you!" she gushed.  "So Everett and I will see you and your husband at the wedding?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
"Wonderful!  You take care of yourself now, you hear me?"  
  
I laughed.  "Of course I will.  And you don't let your daughter stress too much over the little things.  It may be her day, but she should be happy, not stressed out," I said.  
  
Morgana smiled at me as I started towards my car.  "I'll tell her to keep that in mind."  
  
"Great.  See you in a couple of weeks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a little fillery, but I thought it was a good prelude to the wedding next chapter!


	48. FORTY-EIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arizona's father's stepdaughter's wedding.

**CURRENT STORY DATE: 12/16/11**  
  
"Are you coming or not, Mom?" I asked, peeking my head into her bedroom.  
  
She looked at me. "I'm going to stay back and look after Alaska. Are you bringing Cadence?"  
  
I shook my head. "I figured bringing a pregnant belly was enough."  
  
My mom chuckled. "Alright, sweetheart. Well, you have fun."  
  
I smiled. "Thanks, Mom." I was about to leave to get ready in my room across the hall, but my mom called me back into her room. I poked my head back around the door. "What is it, Mom? I have to get ready."  
  
I saw her hesitate for a second before saying, "I just wanted to tell you to give my regards to your father."  
  
"It's his stepdaughter, Mom, not him that's getting married," I said.  
  
"I know that, Arizona, but it's a big day for his new family. If you'd rather not tell him, that's perfectly fine," she snapped back.  
  
"No, no, if you want me to tell him, I will, that's fine." I paused. "I'm gonna go get ready now."  
  
"Alright, sweetheart. Let me know when Billie Joe gets here so I can pick up Cadence."  
  
~***~  
  
When I poked my head back into my mom's room, she grinned. "You look absolutely beautiful, honey."  
  
I grinned back at her. "Thanks, Mom. I was a little worried about my belly throwing things off."  
  
She waved a hand dismissively. "Of course not, sweetheart! In fact, when I was pregnant with Alaska, Aran wouldn't stop telling me how radiant I looked and all those things."  
  
"You and Aran are so cute," I remarked. My mom smiled at me, and made to reply, but the doorbell rang. "That must be Billie with Cadence. Come on, Mom."  
  
She hopped off the bed and helped me down the stairs, opening the door to Billie with Cadence. "Hello, Billie Joe, you look very handsome."  
  
He smiled. "Thanks, Nat." He then handed Cadence over to her. "Here's Cadence. I'm sure she would like to spend a little time with her...what is Alaska to Cadence?"  
  
I chuckled, and then looked at my mother, because I didn't know either. "Yeah, Mom, what _is_ Alaska to Cadence?" My mom thought for a moment while I worked it out aloud. "Well, Alaska is my sister. Actually, she's my half-sister, since she has a different father."  
  
"If Cadence is my granddaughter, and Alaska is my daughter...that makes Alaska Cadence's aunt," my mom said, realization dawning.  
  
"That's weird! They're, like, the same age!" I squeaked.  
  
Billie chuckled. "Yeah." He checked his watch. "Oh, shit, come on, Arizona, your stepmom's gonna have our asses if we're not there in the next fifteen minutes."  
  
"Fuck!" I hissed. I turned to my mom and pecked her cheek, then leaned down to kiss Cadence. "Thanks for looking after her. I'll tell you everything when we get back. I love you!"  
  
"I love you, too!" I heard her call back to me as I rushed out the door.  
  
Billie almost shoved me into his car, and then dropped himself into the driver's seat and pressed the gas pedal to the floor, careening out of the cul-de-sac.  
  
~***~  
  
We arrived just a few minutes late, and Morgana was striding right up to Billie's car. "Oh, thank goodness you're here." She turned to me. "Arizona, I need your help. My daughter is freaking out in her dressing room because one of her bridesmaids just called her from her toilet. Needless to say, that girl won't be coming, so I told her I would ask her stepfather's daughter, which is you, so would you fill the missing bridesmaid's spot?"  
  
I looked at Billie with a surprised face, and then back at Morgana. "Uhm, is she okay with this? I mean, I don't even know her," I said.  
  
"She's desperate, Arizona. Besides, your dress won't clash at all with the rest of the bridesmaids. You're the perfect solution."  
  
I looked back over at Billie, who just shrugged. "Alright, I guess."  
  
Morgana seized my arm. "My stepdaughter will thank you forever for this. This was her worst nightmare, and she will also love me for finding the solution to her problem."  
  
I chuckled, running as fast as I could with a five-month pregnant belly. "Well, I'm just glad I could help, I suppose."  
  
Morgana smiled at me as she burst into her daughter's dressing room. "Tabby! I've found you a replacement bridesmaid!"  
  
The girl whipped around, almost taking out a flowerpot on the ground with her puffy dress. "Yeah? You found Everett's daughter?"  
  
Morgana shoved me in front of her. "Here she is!"  
  
"Hi," I said awkwardly.  
  
I saw Morgana's daughter look me up and down, stopping for a moment on my belly. "Well, she's pretty, and her dress isn't too far off of the other girls', but she's pregnant, and that might throw things off just a tiny bit," she said.  
  
Morgana gave her a look. "Tabitha, you're getting married in an hour. You don't have much time to find yourself another bridesmaid. And this is your stepfather's daughter! How much better can you get?" she squealed.  
  
Tabitha sighed and beckoned me closer. She looked me over again. "Okay, okay, you'll do just fine. What's your name again?"  
  
"Arizona," I answered. "I'm your stepfather's daughter."  
  
Tabitha rolled her eyes. "I got that part, thanks." She jabbed her thumb next to her. "Go stand with the other girls and acquaint yourself." I started to make my way over, and then she said, "Oh, yeah, and my name is Tabitha, if you didn't figure that out."  
  
I smiled at her. "That's a pretty name."  
  
She smiled back at me. "Thanks!"  
  
I walked over to the other bridesmaids, and a redhead offered me her chair. "Here, take my chair. And my name is Calantha. You can just call me Callie."  
  
"That's certainly a different name."  
  
She smiled. "Yeah, it's Greek. I have a very traditional family, so I was given a very Greek name."  
  
"I'm Arizona."  
  
"That's cute!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Two brunettes walked up to me, and I had to shake my head to make sure I wasn't seeing double. "Hi, I'm Sabira," the one on my left said.  
  
"And I'm Layla. We're twins."  
  
"Okay, so I'm not crazy," I said, smiling.  
  
Sabira laughed. "No, you're not."  
  
"We get that all the time," Layla said. Holy shit, they were going to be hard to keep track of. They were identical twins, too.  
  
"You both have very unique names," I told them.  
  
They smiled at me. "They're Arabic."  
  
"Girls, get ready!" we heard Morgana hiss from the doorway. Sabira lent me a hand to get me up off the chair, and I smiled at her as I smoothed my dress over my belly.  
  
We all gave Tabitha our last comments as we walked out a back entrance and up to the platform where Tabitha would join her soon-to-be husband. As we came out, a man in a tuxedo was also coming up to the platform. He smiled at the girls, and then raised an eyebrow at me. "Who are you?" he asked, and I thought he was a little rude.  
  
"One of Tabitha's bridesmaids called out sick at the last minute, so Morgana found me as a replacement, and Tabitha approved."  
  
"But who _are_ you? As in, how do you know my fiance?"  
  
"I don't. I just met her, actually. But I'm her stepfather's daughter."  
  
His face went blank. "Oh," he said. "Okay." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Venn. I'm the groom."  
  
I smiled and shook his hand. "I figured that out. I'm Arizona."  
  
"Great to meet you. How do I look?"  
  
I laughed. "Venn, I'm already married, and I can tell you that you look like the happiest man on the planet."  
  
He grinned. "Great. Thanks."  
  
I stood with Callie on the left of where Tabitha would soon stand. "Callie," I said.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Who's the maid of honor?"  
  
She grinned in what looked like triumph, like she beat out someone in a competition. "That would be me."  
  
"Oh! Well, congrats, I suppose. And I must say I feel honored to be standing next to her in a complete stranger's wedding," I joked.  
  
She chuckled and looked out upon the people starting to file in. "You said you were already married. Did you bring your husband?"  
  
I smiled. "Yes, I did."  
  
"That's lovely. Who is he?"  
  
I wondered on how to approach this question, and decided that blunt was the way to go. "Billie Joe Armstrong."  
  
Callie's eyes widened as people started to file into their seats. "You mean the musician?"  
  
I smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes I do."  
  
"Well holy shit! I'm a big fan. Is he out there?" She started peeking out into the audience.  
  
I laughed and made to reply, but the procession music started and we all straightened our dresses for Tabitha's approach.  
  
She slowly came up the aisle with my father in tow. I don't know if she doesn't have a biological father, or she just didn't want to go through the trouble to find him for her wedding to have her stepfather walk her down the aisle. Maybe she and my father were much closer than I ever would have thought.  
  
She reached the platform and Venn grinned at her. They looked so happy, and I remembered what I felt like when Billie and I got married. Then the baby kicked, and I started to pay attention, ignoring my feet that were already in mild protest.  
  
~***~  
  
"Thank you so much for filling in the position last minute, Arizona," Tabitha gushed at the reception.  
  
I smiled and took a sip of my water. "Of course, Tabitha. It was no problem at all. You looked absolutely gorgeous up there, and it was my pleasure to stand up there next to you."  
  
She grinned and leaned down to give me a hug in my chair. "You and I need to get together and get to know each other! I think we would get along quite well."  
  
"I agree! When you get back from your honeymoon, definitely. Let the initial post-wedding glow settle," I said. She just smiled and went back to her new husband across the room.  
  
Billie took my hand and squeezed it, and I looked over at him. "Hey. You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? This is a beautiful wedding, even if it is of someone I just met today."  
  
"I meant with the baby," he said, quieter.  
  
I smiled and placed a hand on my belly instinctively. "Of course, love. I think she seemed happy today when I was standing up on that platform right after Tabitha came up."  
  
"Tabitha? Is that her name?" I nodded. "Well finally I learn it. Hey, where's your dad?"  
  
I smiled at him again. "You wanna meet him?" He nodded, smiling. I nodded out towards the dancing crowd. "Come on, then. He's probably out in the crowd, dancing with either his stepdaughter or his wife."  
  
Billie helped me out of my chair, and I led him to my father sitting down with Morgana on the other side of the room. They were conversing over glasses of champagne, and Morgana looked up with a smile when she saw Billie and I standing before them. "Everett," she said, nudging his elbow.  
  
He looked up. "Arizona! I saw you up next to Tabitha, you looked beautiful."  
  
"Thanks, Dad. I also saw you walking Tabitha up the aisle."  
  
"Long story." He then noticed Billie standing next to me. "And this would be?"  
  
Billie stuck out his hand. "I'm Billie Joe Armstrong, sir. I'm Arizona's husband."  
  
My dad shook his hand vigorously. "Well, you're the man my daughter has chosen. It is a great pleasure to meet you."  
  
"You as well." Billie turned to Morgana and stuck his hand out to her. "Hi, you must be Arizona's other stepmother. I'm Billie Joe Armstrong."  
  
She smiled and shook his hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Billie. I've heard nothing but wonderful things from Arizona." Billie blushed.  
  
I took Billie's hand and squeezed, smiling at him when he looked over at me. I then remembered something. "Oh, Dad. There's something Mom wanted me to tell you."  
  
His eyebrows perked up. "Oh really? And what would that be?"  
  
I could tell he was expecting a rude comment or a harsh remark, but I told him what my mother told me to tell him. "She just wanted me to give you her regards."  
  
His face went blank. "Oh. Well when you see her next, tell her that I appreciate her...concern, I suppose."  
  
I smiled at my father since I knew he didn't know what to say back to my mother's remark. The two haven't seen each other in eleven years, let alone spoken to each other. "Well, I told Mom that I'd be back before eleven because we need to pick up Cadence and then get home," I said. "Tell Tabitha congrats one more time for me, okay?"  
  
My father nodded, gave me a hug, and then turned to Billie. "It was good to meet you."  
  
"Yeah, you too," Billie said with a smile. He then turned to Morgana. "It was great to have met you," he said.  
  
She smiled brightly at him. "Likewise. Congratulations on your new child."  
  
Billie beamed. "Thank you!" He then turned to me and took my hand. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you off your feet."  
  
I waved goodbye to my father and Morgana and then weaved back through the crowd and out to Billie's car. We sat in it for a few minutes without moving to let the car warm up. While we waited, I asked, "So did you have fun, babe?"  
  
He smiled at me and leaned over the gearshift to kiss me sweetly. "Of course I did, love. I think it was great I got to meet the other side of your family."  
  
I smiled back at him. "Yeah, I always knew I wanted you to meet my biological father, I just wasn't sure how. And meeting Morgana was just a bonus."  
  
Billie just smiled at me again and leaned back over to kiss me again, then put the car in park. "Let's go get Cadence and get home. I see some good cuddles in your near future."  
  
I giggled. "Wonderful," I said, and gave Billie a quick peck on the cheek as he pulled out.


	49. FORTY-NINE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the penultimate chapter.

"Who just knocked on the door?" Billie asked me, standing up.  
  
I glanced up at the clock on the wall. "That would probably be my mother. And she would have Aran and Alaska with her." I began to stand up, and Billie rushed to my side, giving me his hand and helping me up. "Thank you, love," I said with a smile, giving him a quick kiss. "But I haven't seen my mom since I moved in with you while you were still on tour, so I think it would be best if I opened the door."  
  
Billie smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "Alright, sweetheart, I'll go check on the chicken for you."  
  
I opened my mouth, then closed it. I waited a moment, the doorbell ringing for a second time, then said, "I love you so much."  
  
Billie laughed from the kitchen. "I love you too, Izzie. Now go answer the door."  
  
I smiled to myself and noted to go up to him and kiss him extra special for using the nickname he gave me when we first started dating. I waddled over to the front door and opened it to my grinning mother and a smiling stepfather holding my baby sister. "Arizona!" my mom squealed.  
  
"Mom!" I exclaimed, grinning back as she threw her arms around my neck and drew me close to her; well, as close as could with my six-month-pregnant belly.  
  
She looked down at my belly. "Wow, sweetheart, how far along are you now?"  
  
"Six months," I answered, and Aran shouldered his way in next to my mom. "Hey, Aran! I haven't seen you in a while! You weren't there when I moved out."  
  
He smiled while he handed Alaska to my mom. "Why don't you go inside, love?" he suggested.  
  
"Yeah, Mom, Billie's inside, he's perfectly fit to entertain, and you can see Cadence, too." She smiled and I stood aside to let her in. "Why don't you come in, too, Aran? It must look awkward with you just standing in the doorway. Besides, we're letting out the heat!"  
  
Aran smiled and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. I smiled back at him and led him into the living room. "You have a truly wonderful apartment, Arizona," my mom said to me as she and Billie returned from the bedroom, each carrying a baby.  
  
Billie walked over to me and sat down next to me, holding Cadence. "Do you wanna take her, love? I'm gonna go finish the peas."  
  
I smiled at him and gave him a small kiss before he handed our daughter to me. "Hello, sweetheart," I cooed to her quietly, my face close to hers. She reached her tiny hand out and I put my index finger in front of her. She grabbed it and I grinned, kissing the tiny hand that was wrapped tightly around my finger.  
  
"I agree with your mother, your apartment looks quite nice," Aran said casually. "And I must also agree with her on the fact she keeps repeating about Cadence being absolutely beautiful."  
  
I looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you so much."  
  
He nodded at me, and then my mom came in and sat down next to him, pecking him on the cheek. I smiled at them. "I always tell Aran that whenever I see pictures of you and her or Billie and her together. She looks so much like you already."  
  
I smiled at my mom and glanced up at Billie walking towards the living area. "Thanks, Mom." I looked at her holding Alaska. "How's my little sister been?"  
  
My mom smiled at me again and looked down at Alaska. "She's been great, everything's perfectly normal."  
  
I cocked my head slightly. "Are you worried or something, Mom?"  
  
She looked back up at me. "About Alaska?" I nodded. "A bit. I mean, it's been about eighteen years since I've raised a child, so I'm a bit out of practice. Besides, times have changed a lot since you were born, Arizona. I wanna make sure there's nothing new out there that can harm Alaska," she said.  
  
I smiled. "You don't have to worry about being out of practice. I think once you're a mother, it doesn't matter how long it's been since you raised a child from a baby, you never forget what it's like to hold a baby in your arms."  
  
"Almost like riding a bike," Billie chirped.  
  
I giggled and looked up at him, standing next to me by the couch. "Yeah," I said. "Almost like riding a bike." He leaned down and kissed me sweetly.  
  
There was another knock at the door. "Who's that?" Billie asked, his face still close to mine.  
  
I thought for a moment, then kissed Billie again. "Either my father and his family, or your mom," I said.  
  
"Want me to go answer it?" he asked.  
  
I shook my head. "I got it. I haven't seen your mom in ages either, so I think it'd be good if I answered the door in either situation."  
  
Billie just extended his hand towards mine and helped me off the couch again. He sat down in my place as I waddled to the door, and saw a tall, dark-haired man standing with a shorter, blond woman and two other, younger people. I smiled at all of them, and gave the first hug to my father. "Hey, Dad, how are you?"  
  
"I'm great, Arizona, and you look it, too. How far along are you now?" he asked.  
  
I smiled, placing a hand on my belly. "Six months," I said.  
  
"Wow," was all my dad said before I turned to Morgana, smiling at her.  
  
"Hello," I said.  
  
She smiled back at me and took a step forward to hug me. "How are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"I'm damn well," I answered.  
  
She chuckled. "Well, that's good to hear."  
  
I smiled at her again and then turned it to Tabitha, who appeared to have brought her new husband, whose name I couldn't remember at the moment. "Tabitha, I see that you still have that newlywed glow about you."  
  
She grinned back at me, and her husband kissed her cheek affectionately. "Yeah, Venn and I are leaving for our honeymoon tomorrow, so we're pretty excited."  
  
My eyebrows shot right up. "Tomorrow? Wow! Well come on in, all of you, and tell me all about Tabitha! I'm letting all the heat out," I said, stepping aside to let everyone in.  
  
I forgot that my parents hadn't even spoken in about eleven years, so I wasn't surprised by the immediate silence that followed my father's entrance into the living area. Seriously, when I entered, no one had moved and no one had spoken; all eyes were on my parents. I knew it wasn't wise to input anything either, so I just stayed back and waited for everything to play out.  
  
"Everett," my mother said stiffly, breaking the silence like a hammer to glass.  
  
"Natalie," my father said in reply.  
  
My mom looked him over once. "You're looking well. Since you left."  
  
My father nodded once. "I decided to clean up my act a little after I left."  
  
My mom looked over at Morgana, who had gone rigid when the silence had fallen. "Hello," Morgana said, sounding slightly afraid.  
  
My mom looked her over and said hello back. It was very stiff, though, so I knew she didn't approve right away. She then looked over at Tabitha, who looked to have steeled herself for when my mom noticed her. "Hello," Tabitha said politely. She then pointed to her husband. "And this is my husband, Venn."  
  
My mother looked them both up and down and then did her pursed-lip-smile that said 'I acknowledge your existence, but I have nothing to say to you in way of greeting.' She turned back to my father. "You seem to have done well for yourself in my absence," she said, much more politely.  
  
He nodded and inclined his head towards Aran and Alaska. "And you. That must be your new husband, is he not?"  
  
"Aran," Aran interjected politely.  
  
"And a new baby, too? Well, it's good to know you haven't been out of practice," my father said coldly.  
  
"Dad!" I yelled.  
  
He snapped his head to look at me, and then his gaze softened. "Arizona...I'm sorry. I got, uh, I got a little carried away."  
  
"Yeah I'll say," I said, muttering a quiet excuse me to Tabitha and Venn so I could get through to the kitchen to check on dinner.  
  
The peas were about to boil over, and the mashed potatoes weren't quite warm enough, thanks to my father's icy comments. I don't care whatever grudge he held against my mother - and I don't see why _he_ should be holding the grudge, he was the one who left my mother and I - but he was going to leave it at my fucking front door, because this was the first meal as a complete family in my first house, and I was not have some eleven year feud fuck it up.  
  
Billie came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, right above my belly, placing his chin on my shoulder. "You okay?" he whispered into my ear.  
  
I sighed angrily. "I just wasn't expecting my dad to do that." I turned around to face him. "I know my parents haven't heard head or tail of each other in eleven years, but why would my father have any sort of grudge against my mom? He's the one who left us, not the other way around! And it's not like he has anything to be jealous of my mom for! He has a wife, and a stepdaughter, and she just got married. My mom has a husband, and a new baby. Why can't we all just be happy for each other and just get along?? I mean, I'm having a baby in a couple of months, this should be a happy time, I just..."  
  
Billie placed his hands on my shoulders and spun me back around, wrapping his arms around me right above my belly and kissing the top of my head. "Arizona, sweetheart, you have to relax. You had to have known somewhere deep down that something like this would happen. Your parents haven't seen or spoken to each other in eleven years, and judging by what you've told me about the night your dad left, things didn't seem to end on a particularly good note. So yeah, there's bound to be some tension."  
  
I sighed again and turned back around to face Billie. "I love you so much. You always know just what to say to me," I said, and kissed him sweetly. "Now come on, let's get the chicken out of the oven before it burns to a crisp."  
  
~***~  
  
"Would anyone like more wine?" I asked, holding up my glass as an example, even though there had been no alcohol in my glass all night. There were nods of general assent. I turned to Billie and muttered, "Could you go get the bottle out of the freezer, please, love?"  
  
He nodded and stood up, walking over to the refrigerator and retrieving the bottle. He went around to everyone, pouring their glasses and then came around to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek before returning to the kitchen with my empty glass. He came back a minute later with a full one of water, and I grinned as he set it down in front of me, kissing him sweetly on the cheek when he sat down next to me. "You're welcome," he whispered into my ear. I giggled.  
  
I took a sip of the water out of my glass, and then my father asked, "Will there be dessert, Arizona?"  
  
I smiled at him. "I bought an angel food cake and mixed together some berries for a topping. Would anyone like some?"  
  
"Is there whipped cream?"  
  
I laughed. "Of course!"  
  
"Well, then serve it up, sweetheart."  
  
Billie stood up quickly and led me his hand. I smiled at him and took his hand. "Thank you, love," I muttered to him, and he followed me into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out the berry bowl, and I opened the angel food cake on the counter, grabbing a knife from the block on the end of the counter. Billie set the bowl next to me, cling wrap folded off to the side, and kissed me on the cheek.  
  
"You need any help, sweetheart?" he asked.  
  
I smiled at him. "No, it's fine, I got it."  
  
"I'll carry them out when you've finished putting them together."  
  
I grinned to myself. "You're so helpful, even when I don't ask. I love you so much."  
  
Billie smiled at me, and then moved in and gave me a sweet kiss. "I love you, too."  
  
I sprayed some whipped cream on top of the first bowl of cake and berries and handed it to him. "Give this one to my dad, since he was asking for dessert," I said. Billie just smiled and walked into the living room, and then back to me.  
  
~***~  
  
Tabitha and Venn were the ones to leave first, mainly because they were ones who lived the farthest away, but when they left, we all giggled and snorted about how they wanted to get home in time to fuck. Shortly after, though, my mom and Aran left with Alaska, because she had fallen asleep and they wanted to get back home before she woke up and kept them up half the night.  
  
It was just Billie, Cadence, and I, and my father and Morgana by ten thirty pm. "Aren't you two going to be off soon?" I asked when I glanced at the time.  
  
"Are you trying to get rid of us, Arizona?" Morgana said, winking at me obnoxiously.  
  
"Were you trying to be subtle?" I asked. She shook her head. "Okay, good. In that case, no, I'm not trying to get rid of you, I'm just concerned about the time. Don't hotel doors close at a certain hour of the night?"  
  
"I didn't think so," my father said, checking his watch. "Besides, the night is still relatively young. We have some time to get back."  
  
I smiled and took a sip of my water glass. "I have to pee," I muttered to Billie, kissing him quickly on the cheek and standing up, keeping a hand on Billie's shoulder so he wouldn't stand up to help me up off the couch.  
  
He chuckled and watched me stand up carefully. "Thanks for that, love."  
  
I turned to him with a smile when I was standing. "I tell you these things because I love you," I said.  
  
"I suppose I shouldn't complain, then, sweetheart. I love you, too."


	50. FIFTY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the final chapter.

"Arizona?" I heard Billie call from the bedroom.  I tapped on the closed bathroom door.  I faintly heard the quiet rustle of the sheets as Billie moved around in bed, presumably to get out of bed, then he knocked on the bathroom door.  I chuckled.  "What are you doing in there, love?" he asked.  
  
"I was about to get in the shower," I called over my shoulder.  
  
"Could I come in and pee real quick?"  
  
I unlocked the bathroom door and Billie turned the knob, closing the door behind him.  I had recently woken up, and was going to get in the shower because my father and Morgana had left late last night and I was too tired to take a shower, but instead stood in front of the mirror over the sink admiring my pregnant belly.  Billie then appeared behind me in the mirror, and kissed my cheek from behind.  I turned around and kissed him sweetly on the lips.  "Good morning, sweetheart," I said.  
  
He grinned and kissed me again, grabbing both sides of my face.  "Can I join you?" he muttered seductively.  
  
I smiled, blushed, and then kissed him again, taking his bottom lip between my teeth.  "Certainly," I muttered back to him.  Billie licked his lips.  
  
I took the few steps behind me and turned the shower on, letting Billie get a good look at my ass.  I heard him groan quietly behind me, and I grinned before standing up and turning back around.  Billie's gaze lingered on where my ass had been, and then looked back up into my eyes, and they were shining with lust.  I bit my bottom lip, and the room had begun to fill up with steam.  "Fucking hell, Arizona," Billie groaned, striding across the small bathroom and grabbing my hips, mashing his face against mine.  "If you weren't carrying our second child, I would _so_ lift you up and fuck you in that shower."  
  
"Billie," I said, my arms around his neck.  "You lift guitar equipment.  I'm pretty sure you can lift your pregnant wife."  
  
"Babe!" he groaned.  "You're heavier than you think.  Remember when you were pregnant with Cadence and we tried to do this?  I couldn't even get you onto the bathroom counter."  
  
I groaned and dug my nails into the back of Billie's neck, eliciting a loud moan from him.  "You must not want me that bad, then," I argued, dragging my hair back with one hand.  
  
"Ugh, babe...you have no idea what that just did to me."  
  
I laughed and kissed him.  "Well come on.  It doesn't matter what you do to me, you know I will reciprocate, and we're wasting water."  
  
"Okay, okay, okay, let's get in, I have an idea."  
  
~***~  
  
"Billie Joe Armstrong, oh my God."  He laughed.  "No, really."  
  
"Okay, okay," he said, kissing my cheek.  
  
"If we ever have a third child, we _have_ to do that again," I said.  
  
Billie laughed again.  "Oh, definitely.  I thought that was a given, really."  
  
I laughed this time, and kissed him on the cheek.  "Come on, let's go into the kitchen.  I'll make us breakfast."  
  
"I love when you make breakfast!" he called excitedly from the bedroom.  I heard him hopping down the small hallway, and careening around the corner, and I laughed when he almost crashed into the side of the refrigerator.  
  
"Careful, tiger," I said, walking up behind him and kissing him on the cheek.  
  
He smiled sheepishly.  "I'll just go sit down and watch the news."  
  
I giggled.  "Okay."  
  
About ten minutes later, I was flipping omelettes on the stove, about to put Billie's on his plate.  "Sweetheart, your breakfast is ready!" I called to him.  
  
"Oh boy!"  He rushed into the kitchen, and I could tell he was making the effort to not crash into anything this time.  I smiled at him as he picked up his plate and kissed me on the cheek, and then I plated my omelette.  
  
"Aw, you're so sweet!" I squeaked when I sat down.  Billie had waited for me to sit down with him.  
  
He smiled at me and picked up his fork.  "You made breakfast, so I thought it was only polite," he said.  I just smiled at him again, and stabbed my omelette with a fork.  A few minutes of munching later, Billie asked, "Hey, love?"  
  
"Yes?" I said, looking up at him.  
  
"Have you thought about any names for our second daughter?"  
  
I smiled and swallowed the rest of the omelette in my mouth.  "No, not yet.  Did you want to start?"  
  
He smiled back at me.  "Yeah."  
  
I continued to smile, and forked the last piece of my omelette into my mouth.  "If you're finished, I'll clear up the plates and then go set up my computer."  
  
Billie grabbed my hand as I stood next to him.  "Sweetheart, I'll clear up the plates.  You go sit down and set up your computer."  
  
I grinned down at him, and I kissed him when he stood up.  "I love you so much," I said.  
  
Billie grinned.  "I love you, too, Arizona."  
  
I lumbered over to the couch and sat down, dragging my laptop over onto the coffee table.  I pulled up an Internet window and a Word document, and waited for Billie to sit down next to me.  
  
I began to search the Internet for baby name lists.  I pulled up the first one in the search results Google gave me, and clicked on girls names.  I began to scroll through the list, and occasionally clicked back to the Word document to write down ones that I liked and wanted to ask Billie about.  
  
When Billie came to sit down next to me, I smiled at him and clicked over to the Word document.  "I've already written down a couple that I like.  What do you think?" I asked, turning the screen towards him slightly.  
  
He looked it over.  "I like Abigail.  And Elizabeth," he said.  Then he looked up at me.  "Do you want it to start with a certain letter?" he asked.  
  
I shrugged.  "I dunno.  I'm just kinda going through this list and picking out what catches my eye," I answered.  
  
"Hey, wait, stop," Billie said.  
  
I stopped scrolling.  "What?"  
  
"Temperance.  That's beautiful," he said.  
  
I smiled.  "That is."  I looked down at my belly.  "I think we'll know the perfect name when we find it, though.  I think it should start with T, though," I said.  
  
Billie smiled.  "Yeah?  Okay, T it is."  He took over the computer and continued scrolling through the list of names.  
  
"Wait!" I squeaked, grabbing Billie's arm.  He stopped scrolling.  "Go back up a little bit."  He did.  "Okay, stop.  Look at that.  Therese."  I felt the baby kick, and I grinned.  "That's it," I said.  
  
Billie grinned now, too.  "Yeah?"  
  
I nodded and looked down at my belly, still grinning, and placed my hand on it.  "Therese."  She kicked again.  "Yeah, that's definitely it."  
  
Billie placed his hand on top of mine on my belly.  "Therese," he repeated, and the baby kicked for the third time.  His grin became even wider when he felt the kick, and then he turned my face to his in a long, passionate kiss.  "Yeah, that's definitely it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, this is it. i just want to thank everyone that's read this story and been a part of this experience. i've been working on this story elsewhere for 18 months, and this is the culmination of all my work. i hope you will all visit the sequel, Oakland: A Tour Diary, when it comes up in late 2012 or early 2013. <3


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